Newspapers routinely do not publish stories on suicides and at tempted suicides. The stories can be unnecessarily intrusive into the life — and sometimes the death — of a troubled person.
In addition, government and private agencies appeal to the media to tread delicately in handling suicide reports. Media coverage, they fear, can influence vulnerable people to attempt suicide themselves.
If the event draws considerable public attention — a street is closed or a crowd has gathered, for instance — The Oregonian and other newspapers often publish a story briefly explaining the situation while in most cases keeping private the name of the person involved.Those are the common practices. Last Tuesday readers found on Page One the uncommon: a story and three photos of a suicide deterred on the Fremont Bridge.
In this case, however, the story was not primarily about the man poised outside the railing of the bridge span.
Rather, the story by reporter Maxine Bernstein focused on the Portland police officers who risked their lives to keep the man from leaping to the Willamette River 205 feet below.
Three photos by photographer Ross William Hamilton captured the daring actions of the officers. The suicidal man could not be identified from the photos.
The story related in detail how the officers — Nathan Wollstein and Jason Jones — drew upon their crisis intervention training as they talked with the distressed man for 75 minutes.
At that point, the man stepped away from the ledge only to change his mind and leap back over the railing. Wollstein lunged, got a tentative hold on the man and almost went over the railing himself. Jones anchored Wollstein and helped pull the man back to safety.
These were the dramatic moments that Hamilton captured on film.
Most readers, I suspect, did not think the photo and stories intrusive. In addition, probably few readers gave much thought to the fact that the dramatic moments on the bridge early Sunday morning appeared on Tuesday, a day late in newspaper terms.
The decisions behind the delay were not haphazard. On the contrary, they illustrate how carefully editors approach sensitive stories and photos.
Jack Hart, a managing editor, could see from a westside vantage point Sunday morning that police patrol cars had gathered on the bridge. He telephoned Patty Reksten, photo director, who in turn telephoned Hamilton, the photographer.
Hamilton, using an 800 mm lens, took his photos from the bank of the Willamette River. He knew his work might not be published, but he was there on the chance that he might capture something that could be used.
You can never make a decision of whether to use a photo if you dont have the photo in hand, Reksten said last week.
Photos available, editors still needed details. Attempts to reach the officers Sunday were not successful. Editors decided it was best to wait to talk to them.
Bernstein, who covers the Portland Police Bureau, solved that problem Monday when she reached both Jones and Wollstein. They had had a day to step back from an emotional experience, and they recounted the crucial seconds and details right down to the brand of beer the man asked for.
The Oregonians editors, in the meantime, had time to discuss the ramifications of publishing the photos and the story.
The result, said Peter Bhatia, executive editor, was a compelling story that was not intrusive into the mans issues.
The compelling nature of the story arose from the actions of the officers, not from the personal trials facing the man who pondered a fall to his death.
