Regarding the journalists that were detained and released: the first rule of responsible reporting is knowing the situation in which you find yourself. Ive been kicked out of crime scenes, asked to fall back to staging areas, thrown off of highways. Ive also been given access to areas of police work and police tips as a result of good will and good behavior. Reporters are are compelled to be in areas like Ferguson to shine a light on what is happening. Remember, you know what you know about the entire situation because of the press. And thats a good thing. Its the right thing. In such a tense environment, though, reporters have to weigh the good vs the practical. We expect the police to act in a professional manner and to deal with the media in a way that will foster a productive relationship. At the McDonalds where two reporters were arrested, lots of goodwill didnt happen. On either side. The situation was far to volatile to expect a the cop and reporter to talk things out right there. And in that vain, I would have packed up and left. And in doing so Ive shown an ability to pick my battles, still maintain my integrity as a reporter and move on to work my story. I do journalism and the story in Ferguson that needs to be told no good by picking the wrong battle and spending valuable hours in jail. And in watching the video, the officer certainly didnt work with the media in a conducive way, either. Patience is replaced by anxiety and that led to a no-win for either of them.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 04:03:35 +0000
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