The Never-Ending Reading

In Covering Crime and Justice some of the key elements that every journalist may deal with are ironed out. The reading gives a brief summary of the ins and outs of journalism and how it can take on many different forms and present many different challenges depending on the area a journalist is covering.

Chapter 1: The Crime Beat

I feel that as a journalist I wouldn't be terribly good at the crime beat. I tend to have a hesitancy about going after the tough story or the "in-your-face" topics. I did enjoy the reading, though, because it provided a good background of how crime is defined and how arrests and other aspects of civil and criminal cases play out.

I'd never really know the difference between various types of crimes and how each term has a different meaning. Here are some examples from the reading:

* Larceny encompasses any wrongful taking of property.
* Theft is larceny without a threat or violence, such as a picked pocket. Many forms of white-collar financial crimes are variations of theft.
* Fraud is a form of theft, sometimes defined as theft by deception.
* Tax evasion is another form of theft.
* Auto theft is self-explanatory.
* Robbery is a larceny accompanied by violence or threats, including a finger under the jacket to indicate a gun.
* Burglary is the unlawful entering of a premises with the intent to commit a crime. A burglary does not involve violence. But if a homeowner discovers the burglar and violence ensues, the burglary becomes a robbery.

Distinctions like these are crucial to accuracy in reporting and misusing a term could be the difference between truth and libel. Other aspects of the reading that were helpful included suggestions for getting in contact with police and maintaining a good relationship. I've worked for Newswatch16 as an assignment editor and let me tell you, sometimes it is VERY difficult to get in contact with police or even just get facts confirmed. I reading gave me a few suggestions of how to maintain a good relationship with the people that I'd work with continuously if I were assigned the crime beat.

Chapter 5: Covering Crime and its Victims

The beginning of this chapter made the important point that reporting on crime keeps society in check. Obviously, crime reporting is intended to let the public know whether or not laws are being withheld and when people are subjected to injustices against them. Because of these functions, the media play an important role in public safety.

One of the key points outlined in chapter five is that a journalist cannot depend on the police version to be "the official version" of a story. Instead, journalist should strive to get the victims point of view as well because they are a key to the integrity of the story. Although it is key to speak with the victim -- if they are capable of speaking, that is -- it probably one of the most challenging times in a reporter's day. He or she must identify themselves as a reporter and then try to speak with the victim of the family. While a reporter needs this angle they should not become part of what Hackney calls "wolfpack journalism." Instead, she argues that the best interviews with victims often occur after the incident when the victim has the opportunity to feel more at ease during the interview.

Like every good journalism guide, this section also spoke to how journalist should conduct an interview. Although it read like a cd on repeat from other pieces I'd read, its always a good reminder to get the basic info early in the interview such as names, spellings and key facts. This is especially true considering that in some case the article may be the last thing written about a person.

In reference to graphic images or scenes, the chapter provided some basic guidelines for graphic images or descriptions:
1. Is it necessary to tell the story?
2. Does it help the community at large?
3. Will it offend the reader/viewer?
4. Will victims suffer more because of details?
5. Will the details help police solve the crime?

Above all, this section made the point that it is not the journalist job to judge, they should only tell the truth through reporting and writing. Every choice the writer makes while covering crime should be based on the best possible way of telling the story, not his or her personal feelings.

Chapter 7: Covering the Courts

The court beat has been increasing in importance since the O.J. Simpson case. Today publications and all types of media are expected to keep track of high profile cases and ones that will matter to its audience, after all, "law shapes and holds society together."

I feel that for a journalist to be good at covering the crime beat they need to have a lot of base knowledge of the court system. It's definitely a complicated system that could take a journalist years to understand. There is the difference between state and federal courts and between civil and criminal court.

Not only will journalist have trouble understanding the process, it is a beat where getting in touch with sources is nearly impossible. Judges, attorneys, plaintiffs and defendants are understandably busy during a case. Because of the difficulty speaking with these key figures the reporter is often times left with only their notebook and a stuffy seat in the back of the court room.

Journalists also tread a fine line in their coverage. The reporting should not portray the wrong opinion to the audience. A lot of time a person's guilt of innocence in the minds of the public is shaped more by media coverage than by any other source. Part of this is probably because the media does its best to translate legalese into plain English. (A task that isn't exactly easy!)

It's hard for me to decide whether or not journalists should take a really active role in following a court case. On one side, the public has a right to know what's going on and the media serve as a watch dog but on the other hand coverage often shapes public opinion.

Journalists tread the line between the first amendment of freedom of speech and the sixth amendment that guarantees the defendant a fair trial.