On Tue, Feb 12, 2013 at 5:50 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 12, 2013 at 5:31 PM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I am inclined to give the lawmen the benefit of the doubt, and I > > would think most journalists would comply, up to a point. > > > > Reporters who determine that, for example, the suspect has been either > > killed or put in custody, would be in a position to then refuse to comply > > with attempts to keep them off scene. > > Where we strongly differ is that I don't give law enforcement the > benefit of the doubt. And if I was a journalist, there is no way I > would allow myself such a benefit. Reporters are unable to determine > anything, since none are on-scene. They must accept what is told to > them by the sheriff's office, with no way to confirm it independently. I don't know that we are disagreeing so strongly. As I said, a time comes when reporters in the field have to make their own judgement as to whether to comply. But I do think most journalists would, and should, give the police the benefit of the doubt when they are still in hot pursuit of a dangerous suspect who the police say has access to media and would be aided by live reporting of police tactics and information about the state of affairs on the ground. As someone who grew up in Los Angeles during the worst of the reign of terror of the LAPD, and had several friends in high school shot and killed by LAPD officers, and who more than once has had LAPD and other southern California law enforcement agencies draw guns on him for no good reason, with threats to fire, I doubt there are many people on this list who are more deeply suspicious of the motives of SOCAL law enforcement than I am, or more aware of just how bad their behavior can be. Even so, reporters have an obligation, and it is often in conflict with other imperatives, to do their job in ways consistent with the public safety. Professionals do their best to balance those conflicting imperatives. -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
