The horrific April 24 accident on Highway 1 in east Kamloops that claimed the life of 39-year-old cyclist Michael Dunn offers a textbook example of how covering a public tragedy can elicit varying responses from readers and viewers of our newspaper and website.
Dunn, an experienced cyclist and avid outdoorsman, was doing everything right that day, riding on the shoulder with the traffic. The driver of a dump truck approaching Dunn was also doing everything right, even pulling out a bit as he was about to pass by Dunn.
Unfortunately and tragically, it is believed a tire on Dunn's tire blew, forcing his bike into the path of the truck.
In our newsroom, I heard the call on the scanner — fragmented information about a cyclist and truck and the approximate location.
Our photographer and reporter were out of the newsroom on separate assignment, but both were contacted and made their way to the accident scene.
Our photographer, Dave Eagles, arrived first and did what he knows best — he started taking photos and shooting video for our website.
Our reporter, Tim Petruk, was there to gather information and quotes.
When looking at Eagles' photos later in the day, we examined dozens and decided on three that we felt told the story with the least amount of graphic shock. Many photos were simply too raw and disturbing to publish in the paper or on the website.
Granted, all the photos contained an element of the carnage that occurred, but the three photos we decided to publish were, I felt, as tasteful as possible while still conveying the seriousness of the accident.
None of the photos contained a clear image of Dunn's body, thought one did include police officers holding a sheet around the accident scene, and the sheet had a few spots of blood on it.
The video included a bit more graphic material, and even a few images that, on retrospect, were likely too much for friends and family of Dunn.
However, while compiling all this on April 24, near deadline and with a lot of work to do, it did not dawn on me that the story, photos and video would cause as much anguish as they did among the friends and family of Dunn.
One reader took issue with a line in our story. The line referred to "a bloody mess." I considered the reader's argument and read the story without the line included. It did not alter the story at all and I decided to remove it from the website story. The remainder of the piece was left intact.
Dunn's brother e-mailed and actually thanked us for posting the video as it gave family members an opportunity to grasp visually what had happened to Michael. He was, however, extremely upset with a portion of the video that showed a group of people — I believe they were victims services volunteers, though I am not certain.
That portion of the video, comprising a few seconds, showed three or four people drinking coffee and talking, with one or two smiling or laughing.
Obviously, they were not laughing in connection with the tragedy nearby. I have been at more than enough similar scenes to know stress can take varying effects on people. Sometimes you will find yourself shaking at what you have seen. And you might shake your head and smile as you discuss it with another person, though you have no idea you are doing so.
I have also seen officials chatting as they wait to be called over to help. They are at a terrible accident scene. They are waiting. They have each other to speak with an nobody else. At times like this, small talk can ensue, if only to take the mind off the horrible scene in which you find yourself.
Nevertheless, including that short portion in the video was poor editing on our part, and Michael's brother has a valid point.
It was for that reason I decided to take the video off our website.
The video as a whole, as Michael's father said, was not the problem; it was that particular portion.
Perhaps if we find time this week to edit the video, we can post it again; however, even images of Michael's bike under the dump truck and emergency officials investigating the crash proved traumatizing to some of Michael's friends, who e-mailed me their thoughts.
It is very difficult when approaching such a story. The public has the right to know what happened, and to see what happened. But how far does that right extend? Is it enough to grab a photo of a police officer, with no image whatsoever of the accident? Should I base part of my decision to alter images and words on the website on feelings expressed by family and friends of the victim?
This is not the first time we have been confronted with such a situation, nor will it be the last.
There have been times in the past when I have acted in a similar manner; there have been times when I did not change anything. It really is a case-specific decision to be made.
As I was pondering the half-dozen or so calls and e-mails I had received on the matter, my phone rang today (April 27) at about 2 p.m. It was a truck driver who used to be an accident-scene investigator. He wanted to tell me he thought our paper's coverage was as good as it could be under the circumstances. He felt the photos told the take without being gratuitous and he felt the story (in particular the "bloody mess" line) described the accident without being too graphic.
I suppose it all depends on how close one is to the story.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The immediacy of the web
Doug Wittal called me a few hours after I posted the previous item regarding honouring off-the-record information, only to see some of the information elsewhere.
Turns out Wittal did indeed e-mail the briefest of announcements to city media on Thursday, April 2 — unfortunately, for some reason, the message never arrived in my inbox.
Nevertheless, the press release was sparse on details and only referred to a major announcement regarding a tourism destination project in Kamloops.
The press conference today (Wednesday, April 8) revealed a monumental project — a $250-million vision that will feature Canada's largest water park, a few hotels, a convention centre and a 3,000-seat arena with a retractable roof.
You can read all about it at kamloopsthisweek.com
In fact, that we have the most complete website of any media outlet in the city is a huge benefit.
We were able to post the full story by 10:45 a.m. only 45 minutes after the press conference began, easily becoming the first to report the news in its entirety.
We were able to add photos moments later and video of the event by noon.
While we remain a newspaper in the traditional sense, delivering our product to doorsteps three times a week, our website —and those of the rest of our papers in chain of 100-plus Black Press papers — is the place to turn to for breaking news and video.
Plenty of work has gone into it and we now are posting constantly, as often as we can.
It will only become more current as we progress, with stories as they happen, updates as we get them, photos, photo galleries, thumbshots of our front pages, archives of past stories and video of various news events.
Turns out Wittal did indeed e-mail the briefest of announcements to city media on Thursday, April 2 — unfortunately, for some reason, the message never arrived in my inbox.
Nevertheless, the press release was sparse on details and only referred to a major announcement regarding a tourism destination project in Kamloops.
The press conference today (Wednesday, April 8) revealed a monumental project — a $250-million vision that will feature Canada's largest water park, a few hotels, a convention centre and a 3,000-seat arena with a retractable roof.
You can read all about it at kamloopsthisweek.com
In fact, that we have the most complete website of any media outlet in the city is a huge benefit.
We were able to post the full story by 10:45 a.m. only 45 minutes after the press conference began, easily becoming the first to report the news in its entirety.
We were able to add photos moments later and video of the event by noon.
While we remain a newspaper in the traditional sense, delivering our product to doorsteps three times a week, our website —and those of the rest of our papers in chain of 100-plus Black Press papers — is the place to turn to for breaking news and video.
Plenty of work has gone into it and we now are posting constantly, as often as we can.
It will only become more current as we progress, with stories as they happen, updates as we get them, photos, photo galleries, thumbshots of our front pages, archives of past stories and video of various news events.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Off the record and into another paper's pages
I have previously written about off-the-record conversations and background material and how we interpret and use such material.
Essentially, off-the-record is just that — off the record, meaning we cannot use what we have been told.
Sometimes, we can source the information from another person and report on it, without attributing the original source from whom we received the information. But that depends on the agreement made (if there was one) with the original source.
This week offers a tangible example of the off-the-record dynamic.
On Wednesday, April 8 (two days from now as I type this), Doug Wittal, owner of DW Builders, a Kamloops construction company, plans to hold a press conference at Thompson Rivers University to announce a major development project. Beyond that, Wittal won't say a word.
However, we know much of what it entails — but we cannot report anything because it was told to us off-the-record completely.
If we were to confirm this information with a second party involved in the project, we might very well ruin our relationship with the original source.
And we agreed to wait until the press conference before reporting on it as the information was relayed to one of our reporters during a conversation last month at an unrelated event.
Needless to say, a month is a long time for rumours to spread and they have.
On Saturday, our competition, the Kamloops Daily News, had brief about Wednesday's announcement, essentially reporting it was being held and that it may involved a number of scenarios included in the whispered rumours about town.
The Daily News mentioned Wittal had sent a press release out last Thursday, but I haven't seen it, which is why I was a bit perturbed to see any mention of the project in the media, considering we agreed to hold off on such reporting.
I called Wittal today but, as of 4 p.m., hadn't heard back.
It is situations such as these that can make a reporter or editor think twice about off-the-record conversations.
When you know you have plenty of good information, yet you hold onto it because you have given your word, then you see nuggets of that information in another paper, it can create a bit of a stir, to be sure.
Essentially, off-the-record is just that — off the record, meaning we cannot use what we have been told.
Sometimes, we can source the information from another person and report on it, without attributing the original source from whom we received the information. But that depends on the agreement made (if there was one) with the original source.
This week offers a tangible example of the off-the-record dynamic.
On Wednesday, April 8 (two days from now as I type this), Doug Wittal, owner of DW Builders, a Kamloops construction company, plans to hold a press conference at Thompson Rivers University to announce a major development project. Beyond that, Wittal won't say a word.
However, we know much of what it entails — but we cannot report anything because it was told to us off-the-record completely.
If we were to confirm this information with a second party involved in the project, we might very well ruin our relationship with the original source.
And we agreed to wait until the press conference before reporting on it as the information was relayed to one of our reporters during a conversation last month at an unrelated event.
Needless to say, a month is a long time for rumours to spread and they have.
On Saturday, our competition, the Kamloops Daily News, had brief about Wednesday's announcement, essentially reporting it was being held and that it may involved a number of scenarios included in the whispered rumours about town.
The Daily News mentioned Wittal had sent a press release out last Thursday, but I haven't seen it, which is why I was a bit perturbed to see any mention of the project in the media, considering we agreed to hold off on such reporting.
I called Wittal today but, as of 4 p.m., hadn't heard back.
It is situations such as these that can make a reporter or editor think twice about off-the-record conversations.
When you know you have plenty of good information, yet you hold onto it because you have given your word, then you see nuggets of that information in another paper, it can create a bit of a stir, to be sure.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
About that April Fool's story
The calls started coming in not long after our Wednesday edition hit the streets.
We got calls. Lots and lots and lots of calls. I think I may owe the ladies at the front desk a present or two.
We even received a couple of letters to the editor.
Those letter writers — and some of the callers — were mad as hell and vowed to never pay a toll to cross a Kamloops bridge.
Most of those callers then paused and laughed out loud when told our page A3 article on April 1, the story about the city deciding to toll the Overlanders and Halston bridges, was indeed an April Fool’s Day hoax.
And the calls kept coming.
Lots of readers guessed the story was a joke and said they loved it.
It made their day. It lightened their load. It was believable enough to make them think it could be a real news story.
On the other hand, lots of other readers guessed the story was a joke and said they hated it. It created unnecessary stress among those who have to use the bridge. It had no place in a newspaper.
One caller even questioned why we would mock global warming, referring to the fact we predicated the implementation of the tolls on the cost to the city of the provincial carbon tax.
For the record, we were not making light of climate change; we were mocking the carbon tax, an unnecessary tax that will cost all of us more without doing anything to mitigate what it purports to fight.
By the end of Wednesday, the considerable number of calls had broke down to about 70 per cent in favour of the prank and 30 per cent opposed.
Of course, the intent of an April Fool’s news story is to fool the reader into believing the article is real, and to keep that reader believing it is true for as long as possible.
But good April Fool’s Day newspaper pranks should have an element within them to allow the reader the opportunity to discern the hoax.
In our story, there were three subtle clues and one huge hint.
The first letter of each paragraph spelled it out and, if one was to scan the article and zoom in on those first letters, they would see it reads:
A-P-R-I-L-F-O-O-L-S-D-A-Y.
Granted, that’s a bit under the radar (even with the fact we shaded those letters ever so slightly so they were 25 per cent lighter than the rest of the body copy).
There was the name of the spokesman attached to the fictional environment group. His name is Sidd Finch — which happens to be the moniker attached to the character in the best sports story hoax of all time, the legendary 1985 Sports Illustrated article by George Plimpton about a pitcher who threw 168 m.p.h fastballs.
Then there was the final quote attributed to City of Kamloops CAO Randy Diehl (Diehl granted permission to use his name in the spoof, though “his” words were ours), in which he noted “the real reason can be found in the paragraphs of the story.”
Finally, we decided to get a bit mischievous and include our competition, the Kamloops Daily News, in the prank by listing their newsroom phone number as the hotline for information on the bridge tolling decision.
A bit below the belt? Perhaps.
But we trust our colleagues have a good sense of humour and are now plotting their revenge for next year.
Many callers who did not like our prank pointed to the tough economic times as reason enough not to pull such hoaxes.
On the contrary.
With gloomy economic news permeating our life — and we are in the newspaper business, the virtual eye of this maelstrom — we need a laugh, we need to be fooled, we need to have our anger rise, only to be tempered by the realization we have been had.
As one caller said, “it’s good for the soul.”
And we were hardly alone.
Media pranks on April 1 are an industry staple.
Radio NL pulled off a masterful prank as its morning show convinced many that surfing non-Canadian websites will soon cost money.
Country 103 recruited Coun. Tina Lange to help with a hoax involving farm animals in the city.
Even our competition did a piece on Mayor Peter Milobar buying a plane at taxpayer expense.
Our story, all the stories, were done in good fun and should have brought smiles to many faces in these bleak times.
Those who cannot turn that frown upside down may need to get their funny bone X-rayed.
THE APRIL'S FOOL STORY:
By Christopher Foulds
KTW editor
editor@kamloopsthisweek.com
At the end of this month, Kamloops commuters will have to pay to cross the Thompson River in their vehicles as toll booths are introduced on the Overlanders and Halston bridges.
Pointing to the provincial carbon tax and its heavier-than-expected effect on the City of Kamloops’ 2009-2010 budgeting process, city officials held an extraordinary meeting yesterday, pursuant to section 315.3 of the Local Government Act.
Realizing the net effect of the carbon tax would push property-tax increases to the double-digits, the city has decided instead to install toll booths on two of the city’s busiest crossings to mitigate the fiscal burden. Effective April 30, drivers will pay $1 to cross each bridge in both directions, with an additional 25 cents being charged for every passenger in a vehicle. The total charged will not exceed the number of seatbelts in a car, truck or van.
In opting for tolls on the two bridges, city officials point out the expected reduction in vehicular traffic will result in carbon credits from Victoria, which will help offset carbon tax penalties the city is now facing.
“Look, we know this may be unpopular for those who drive across these bridges on a daily basis, but we have an obligation to our taxpayers and to the environment,” City of Kamloops CAO Randy Diehl told KTW.
“Fortunately, we will be offering alternatives to the tolls, which will include a dedicated lane on each bridge for cyclists and pedestrians.”
Officials say the decision to eliminate one lane on each bridge for vehicles and reserve it for cyclists and pedestrians will see the city realize bonus carbon-credits from the provincial government, which will further reduce Kamloops’ total carbon-tax bill for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
On that note, city crews will begin tomorrow to construct large parking lots at the west end of Riverside Park and at the east end of Halston Bridge to accommodate those drivers who wish to park their vehicles and cross the bridges on foot or on two wheels.
Leaving vehicles in the new parking lots — to be dubbed “carbon-catching lots” — will cost $1 per day, which is a bargain, according to the Kamloops Coalition for a Pavement-Free City.
“Say what you will about this being another tax,” group spokesman Sidd Finch said. “It isn’t. It’s all about spending peanuts to save Mother Earth. Besides, a buck a day is nothing compared to what it takes to operate a car every day when fuel, insurance and maintenance are factored in.”
Details of the introduction of the toll booths and the payment-recovery method are expected to be released in the coming days. In addition, Kamloops Transit, bike shops and carpool groups are bracing for an increase in service.
“At the end of the day, we have to do what we can to address global warming and to protect our taxpayers from unexpected tax increases due to measures such as the carbon tax,” said Diehl.
“Yes, we are aware there may be some backlash, but we are confident Kamloopsians are progressive enough in their thinking to embrace a minor inconvenience and a paltry hit on the wallet for the greater good. And the real lesson in all of this can be found in the paragraphs of this very story.”
We got calls. Lots and lots and lots of calls. I think I may owe the ladies at the front desk a present or two.
We even received a couple of letters to the editor.
Those letter writers — and some of the callers — were mad as hell and vowed to never pay a toll to cross a Kamloops bridge.
Most of those callers then paused and laughed out loud when told our page A3 article on April 1, the story about the city deciding to toll the Overlanders and Halston bridges, was indeed an April Fool’s Day hoax.
And the calls kept coming.
Lots of readers guessed the story was a joke and said they loved it.
It made their day. It lightened their load. It was believable enough to make them think it could be a real news story.
On the other hand, lots of other readers guessed the story was a joke and said they hated it. It created unnecessary stress among those who have to use the bridge. It had no place in a newspaper.
One caller even questioned why we would mock global warming, referring to the fact we predicated the implementation of the tolls on the cost to the city of the provincial carbon tax.
For the record, we were not making light of climate change; we were mocking the carbon tax, an unnecessary tax that will cost all of us more without doing anything to mitigate what it purports to fight.
By the end of Wednesday, the considerable number of calls had broke down to about 70 per cent in favour of the prank and 30 per cent opposed.
Of course, the intent of an April Fool’s news story is to fool the reader into believing the article is real, and to keep that reader believing it is true for as long as possible.
But good April Fool’s Day newspaper pranks should have an element within them to allow the reader the opportunity to discern the hoax.
In our story, there were three subtle clues and one huge hint.
The first letter of each paragraph spelled it out and, if one was to scan the article and zoom in on those first letters, they would see it reads:
A-P-R-I-L-F-O-O-L-S-D-A-Y.
Granted, that’s a bit under the radar (even with the fact we shaded those letters ever so slightly so they were 25 per cent lighter than the rest of the body copy).
There was the name of the spokesman attached to the fictional environment group. His name is Sidd Finch — which happens to be the moniker attached to the character in the best sports story hoax of all time, the legendary 1985 Sports Illustrated article by George Plimpton about a pitcher who threw 168 m.p.h fastballs.
Then there was the final quote attributed to City of Kamloops CAO Randy Diehl (Diehl granted permission to use his name in the spoof, though “his” words were ours), in which he noted “the real reason can be found in the paragraphs of the story.”
Finally, we decided to get a bit mischievous and include our competition, the Kamloops Daily News, in the prank by listing their newsroom phone number as the hotline for information on the bridge tolling decision.
A bit below the belt? Perhaps.
But we trust our colleagues have a good sense of humour and are now plotting their revenge for next year.
Many callers who did not like our prank pointed to the tough economic times as reason enough not to pull such hoaxes.
On the contrary.
With gloomy economic news permeating our life — and we are in the newspaper business, the virtual eye of this maelstrom — we need a laugh, we need to be fooled, we need to have our anger rise, only to be tempered by the realization we have been had.
As one caller said, “it’s good for the soul.”
And we were hardly alone.
Media pranks on April 1 are an industry staple.
Radio NL pulled off a masterful prank as its morning show convinced many that surfing non-Canadian websites will soon cost money.
Country 103 recruited Coun. Tina Lange to help with a hoax involving farm animals in the city.
Even our competition did a piece on Mayor Peter Milobar buying a plane at taxpayer expense.
Our story, all the stories, were done in good fun and should have brought smiles to many faces in these bleak times.
Those who cannot turn that frown upside down may need to get their funny bone X-rayed.
THE APRIL'S FOOL STORY:
By Christopher Foulds
KTW editor
editor@kamloopsthisweek.com
At the end of this month, Kamloops commuters will have to pay to cross the Thompson River in their vehicles as toll booths are introduced on the Overlanders and Halston bridges.
Pointing to the provincial carbon tax and its heavier-than-expected effect on the City of Kamloops’ 2009-2010 budgeting process, city officials held an extraordinary meeting yesterday, pursuant to section 315.3 of the Local Government Act.
Realizing the net effect of the carbon tax would push property-tax increases to the double-digits, the city has decided instead to install toll booths on two of the city’s busiest crossings to mitigate the fiscal burden. Effective April 30, drivers will pay $1 to cross each bridge in both directions, with an additional 25 cents being charged for every passenger in a vehicle. The total charged will not exceed the number of seatbelts in a car, truck or van.
In opting for tolls on the two bridges, city officials point out the expected reduction in vehicular traffic will result in carbon credits from Victoria, which will help offset carbon tax penalties the city is now facing.
“Look, we know this may be unpopular for those who drive across these bridges on a daily basis, but we have an obligation to our taxpayers and to the environment,” City of Kamloops CAO Randy Diehl told KTW.
“Fortunately, we will be offering alternatives to the tolls, which will include a dedicated lane on each bridge for cyclists and pedestrians.”
Officials say the decision to eliminate one lane on each bridge for vehicles and reserve it for cyclists and pedestrians will see the city realize bonus carbon-credits from the provincial government, which will further reduce Kamloops’ total carbon-tax bill for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
On that note, city crews will begin tomorrow to construct large parking lots at the west end of Riverside Park and at the east end of Halston Bridge to accommodate those drivers who wish to park their vehicles and cross the bridges on foot or on two wheels.
Leaving vehicles in the new parking lots — to be dubbed “carbon-catching lots” — will cost $1 per day, which is a bargain, according to the Kamloops Coalition for a Pavement-Free City.
“Say what you will about this being another tax,” group spokesman Sidd Finch said. “It isn’t. It’s all about spending peanuts to save Mother Earth. Besides, a buck a day is nothing compared to what it takes to operate a car every day when fuel, insurance and maintenance are factored in.”
Details of the introduction of the toll booths and the payment-recovery method are expected to be released in the coming days. In addition, Kamloops Transit, bike shops and carpool groups are bracing for an increase in service.
“At the end of the day, we have to do what we can to address global warming and to protect our taxpayers from unexpected tax increases due to measures such as the carbon tax,” said Diehl.
“Yes, we are aware there may be some backlash, but we are confident Kamloopsians are progressive enough in their thinking to embrace a minor inconvenience and a paltry hit on the wallet for the greater good. And the real lesson in all of this can be found in the paragraphs of this very story.”
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