This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Dec. 21, 2012 - Dear Beaconites - News coverage of the horrific Newtown shooting has come in for scathing criticism -- and for good reason.
In the initial hours, reporters got key facts wrong -- the shooter's name, for example, and whether his mother was a teacher at Sandy Hook school. Another furor erupted over the ethics of interviewing children. Meanwhile, the speed and reach of social media magnified the misinformation and controversy.
But unfortunately, the most shocking reports turned out to be true -- Adam Lanza killed 20 children and seven adults before taking his own life.
That fact was powerful enough to change the terms of debate over gun violence, at least for the moment. Ideas that were off the table before last Friday -- on gun control, mental-health care and school security -- are now under serious discussion for the first time in years.
As the debate takes shape, the wave of revulsion I feel about Lanza's acts has been compounded by a wave of chagrin about news media. Inaccuracy is only part of the problem. Our sins of commission are aggravated by sins of omission -- coverage that never happened around issues of gun violence.
In the years leading up to Newtown, this issue got episodic attention but not the intense, thoughtful focus that sets the stage for addressing the problem. Paradoxically, violent crime claims an inordinate share of the media spotlight year after year, especially on television. But scare coverage is no substitute for reporting that helps people understand root causes and evaluate options for action.
The reasons for these shortcomings in coverage are obvious. Crime sells. There's no easy answer to the question of how to reduce gun violence. And news organizations get nervous about paying inordinate attention to controversial issues that are not being raised by others.
Once Democrats decided it was politically expedient to give up on gun control, neither party had much interest in bringing it up. Instead, public discussion about guns in recent years has centered on Second Amendment rights, and state legislatures have passed -- and then expanded -- concealed carry statutes. Meanwhile, expanding mental-health care has been generally out of the question in a time of budget constraints and disputes over health policy.
Now, while asking public officials how they will address gun violence, we in the media must ask ourselves how we'll address our own shortcomings. How can we help people find facts in the confusion of unfolding events? How can we maintain appropriate attention on important but inconvenient topics? How can we help citizens understand what's happening and decide what to do?
The first challenge is complicated. In an age of ubiquitous, instantaneous communication, claptrap often outruns credible information.
Of course, news organizations must make their own reports as reliable as possible. But everyone must learn to think like an editor -- questioning whether sources are reliable, wondering whether early accounts will hold up and deciding whether or not to share images and information that you find offensive.
Journalists can help by making clear where we get our information and warning that early reports are often misleading. But for better or worse, it's no longer possible to prevent circulation of information that is unreliable, speculative or downright invented. Readers and viewers, beware.
Addressing the sins of omission is even more complicated. But this week, the Beacon made a start. Within hours of the shooting, Washington correspondent Rob Koenig provided a blunt analysis of why Congress had failed to act despite a litany of previous incidents.
Beacon reporter Nancy Fowler looked at the dilemmas mental-health officials face in dealing with violence. And political reporters Jo Mannies and Jason Rosenbaum delved into the thinking of Missouri officials. Many state legislators are packing concealed weapons, state Rep. Mike Kelley, R-Lamar, told Jason, and they're prepared to defend visitors to Jeff City should trouble erupt.
In coming weeks, we'll be working to keep the issue of gun violence in the spotlight and to ponder how we might keep other significant issues from falling off the table. We hope you'll hold us accountable for providing the quality journalism you need and deserve.
Sincerely,
Margie