Real Name: Chris Cobler Address: 311 E. Constitution St. Victoria, TX 77901 Gender: male Member Since: September 16, 2007 Last Signed In: October 11, 2008 Profile Views: 2299 Blog Views: 14339 Who's Got Spirit? We hope our readers are the ultimate winners Can you tell the election is only a month away? Where do you turn for listings about businesses? Crikey, why did we write about alligator hunting? Aggies, butterflies, Pandora radio, and keeping Victoria beautiful What turns regular people into monsters? What is it about stories involving dogs? What new technology will change the world? Be true to your school September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 
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How do you handle the emotions stirred by a child's death?
All journalists will tell you they dread going to the scene of a traffic fatality. It's many times worse when the victim is a small child, as we reported in Friday's Advocate.
Reporter Leslie Wilber and photojournalist Roni Gendler were almost in tears at the scene Thursday and afterward. The police chief and other first responders felt similar emotions. We generally try to stuff these feelings because we have a job to do and know any pain we feel is nothing compared to those directly involved in the incident. Our mission is to inform the public while being as compassionate as possible to the victims' family and friends. Some online readers commented they thought our reporter was insensitive for reporting what the car wash manager had to say about blood stains at the scene. I asked her this morning why she included that information. She explained she was trying to show how such a horrible tragedy affected even a man who worked there. He and others would never be the same. She said she thought about taking out that paragraph. Managing editor Thomas Martinez said he also stopped and thought about deleting the graph, but left it because he thought it was compelling information. It's easy to second-guess any such decision. Did the paragraph convey well enough the emotion Leslie wanted to show? Was it too graphic? Perhaps. Nonetheless, I commend both Leslie and Roni for the tough job they did that day. I know we all wish that story didn't happen. 7 comments from 4 users
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posted by
Grifter
on Jul 15, 2008 at 07:46 AM
Chris, I believe Leslie did a great job not only did she capture the emotional side of the story but the reality of the story as well. Despite being heartbroken herself she remained professional and did what she was supposed to do, her job. Her telling the part where the owner/worker could only talk about the blood stain gives me insight that maybe this person was also in shock or so overwhelmed with emotion that this was all he could focus on. Maybe if instead of just reporting 15 soldiers killed in Iraq the press could tell a little bit of how each person lived and who loved and cared about them (the emotion) and then tell how each one died (the reality) then maybe there would be a quicker end to this war. The emotion in a story brings out the compassion so maybe the reality can help bring change. posted by
ChrisCobler
on Jul 14, 2008 at 05:36 PM
John, My condolences on your loss and my appreciation for the thoughts you shared here. Your experience reminds us of what's truly important. posted by
ChrisCobler
on Jul 14, 2008 at 05:34 PM
Wondering, I appreciate what you're saying about hoping even one parents thinks twice as a result of the story. As journalists, we certainly want that to happen. We hope our stories serve a greater societal good. At the same time, as a parent, I don't think it's at all appropriate to judge the parents in this accident who already have lost more than most of us can imagine.Sailor, in terms of judging the reporter based on this story, I'd say she did well. She was on the scene quickly and took the initiative to interview witnesses and not rely solely on the police version of events. That's what people expect of a reporter. Should she have left out information she obtained? That's easy to second-guess, but our first instinct as journalists is always to share with the public the news we gather. I've often told reporters and photographers that their first job is to get the news or photo. You don't have any ethical decision to make if you have nothing. Once we have the material in our hand, it's up to all of us in the newsroom to make the right decision about how to handle it. Putting this all on one reporter doing her job is unfair. She's the one routinely covering emotional police scenes. It's not surprising people would react strongly to what she reports. We should review each story separately on its merits. We're not aware of a single inaccuracy in this report. We have a story planned for tomorrow following up on the tragedy from the mother's perspective. If anyone wants to talk about other specific stories, we're happy to do so. My direct office number is 361-574-1271. posted by
CG23Sailor
on Jul 14, 2008 at 01:58 PM
Luminary, You just can't keep your digs at me confined to the Tyler threads can you, you use even this tragedy to further your own aims at taking swipes at us. Chris? (raises eyebrow and looks at Luminary's post) posted by
CG23Sailor
on Jul 14, 2008 at 01:55 PM
Since we have mentioned old saying, there is another to keep in mind...
You mentioned that Thomas Martinez saw the paragraph about the blood and thought about removing it but then decided to keep it in...
The old saying talks about "Your first instinct is usually the right one,"
Don't second guess yourself.
posted by
Luminary
on Jul 14, 2008 at 01:55 PM
The newspaper story about the tragic event seemed like an honest attempt to tell the story. By merely responding here to some of the crass remarks made in the comments section it is demeaning to the professionals who reported the story. We already know about the high journalistic standards some of the online posters have. posted by
CG23Sailor
on Jul 14, 2008 at 01:52 PM
Chris, You say it is always easy to second guess a decision. You are right. as the old saying goes, Hindsight is always 20/20. The problem is that the mistakes are not learned from and the same mistakes keep happening. I am in no way suggesting that Leslie is unfeeling, You write about her being in tears over this and I believe you. But journalistically, she has written many an (unintentional I am sure) insensitive comment on various tragic stories. You have had plenty of experience now seeing how Victoria reacts to this kind of journalism, maybe it is time to think a little harder about what is included in the next article. Today we have another tragedy. the article so far is very short, factual, and too the point. Granted it is a breaking news item and I am sure you are going to have a more in-depth article to follow. I would suggest you look it over carefully for any remarks that would be considered insensitive. We don't need to read about bloodstains, or dents to vehicles, or anything like that. There is nothing wrong with trying to convey the emotional impact of such an event, but do so with sensitivity.
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