We’re not mean, we’re just thorough
A couple of people have called or written to tell us, at The Enterprise, what mean, evil, hateful people we are for picking on someone who works for a competing media.
They’re wrong. We’re not mean, we’re just thorough.
The situation is that a well-known media person, who happens to work for a competing publication, has an adult son in another Texas city who has been arrested for a pretty impressive crime. The son grew up and went to high school in the area, so it’s news. It would be news regardless of who his parents are. But, it probably IS bigger news because his parent is well-known and could easily be considered a public figure.
And the first question readers would be likely to ask, upon seeing the man’s name is, “I wonder if that’s (fill in the blank’s) son?” We just answered the question for them.
Just as when George W. Bush’s daughter Jenna was arrested for underage drinking at UT years ago; or when the son of Bob Schaffer, a Republican candidate for the Senate recently decided to paste some questionable material on his Facebook page – it’s news. Little news becomes bigger news because of those family relationships.
When a local school was vandalized by a young man whose mother was a school administrator and father was a judge, we included their identity with his arrest story. That was a substantially less serious crime and not one reader complained about linking his parents' identity with his criminal activity.
In recent years, we've frequently identified, not only those linked to criminal activity, but those involved in accidents, struggling with serious illnesses, or other newsworthy events with their parents when it helped clarify their identity. That's what this story was about.
I have an unusual last name, at least for this area, and still frequently am asked if I am related to either of the two people living in Southeast Texas who share the same last name (my husband and my daughter.) People want to know. They want to establish the relationship to provide context to the story.
We provide that context, which is our job.
But, it DOES make me want to go home and hug my kids . . . or lock them in their rooms.
They’re wrong. We’re not mean, we’re just thorough.
The situation is that a well-known media person, who happens to work for a competing publication, has an adult son in another Texas city who has been arrested for a pretty impressive crime. The son grew up and went to high school in the area, so it’s news. It would be news regardless of who his parents are. But, it probably IS bigger news because his parent is well-known and could easily be considered a public figure.
And the first question readers would be likely to ask, upon seeing the man’s name is, “I wonder if that’s (fill in the blank’s) son?” We just answered the question for them.
Just as when George W. Bush’s daughter Jenna was arrested for underage drinking at UT years ago; or when the son of Bob Schaffer, a Republican candidate for the Senate recently decided to paste some questionable material on his Facebook page – it’s news. Little news becomes bigger news because of those family relationships.
When a local school was vandalized by a young man whose mother was a school administrator and father was a judge, we included their identity with his arrest story. That was a substantially less serious crime and not one reader complained about linking his parents' identity with his criminal activity.
In recent years, we've frequently identified, not only those linked to criminal activity, but those involved in accidents, struggling with serious illnesses, or other newsworthy events with their parents when it helped clarify their identity. That's what this story was about.
I have an unusual last name, at least for this area, and still frequently am asked if I am related to either of the two people living in Southeast Texas who share the same last name (my husband and my daughter.) People want to know. They want to establish the relationship to provide context to the story.
We provide that context, which is our job.
But, it DOES make me want to go home and hug my kids . . . or lock them in their rooms.
posted by Sheila Friedeck at 12:17 PM
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