For the 21-person photography staff at the Journal News in White Plains, N.Y., moving on is not easy. Poynter.org interviewed a group of three of the paper’s veteran photographers — Seth Harrison, Mark Vergari, and Steve Schmitt — along with director of photography Hai Do about their coverage of the many funerals and memorials in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
In a weak voice, almost inaudible at times, Journal News director of photography Hai Do says, “There are 300 missing people from our circulation area and we have covered many tributes, but by no means all of them.” (The Journal News’s three-county coverage area around New York City is mostly comprised of Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland.)
Hai is working hard to get his organization to appreciate what the victims of this tragedy and the photographers who cover it are going through. Most of all he is committed to changing the standards for grief coverage and conduct, as well as sharing the message that “we need to move on.”
In a staff meeting two weeks after the strike against one of America’s most visible symbols of freedom, Journal News photographers were given clear and unprecedented instructions regarding grief coverage assignments:
“In our effort to move on, I told them that it was OK to walk away if we were not wanted there — and that if they felt that they could not cover a story because of their pain, I would find someone else to cover the story,” says Hai.
As a key part of the plan, photographers were scheduled to arrive early and instructed to seek out people close to the family, friends, and funeral directors for guidance.
“I did not want us to intrude on people’s grief,” Hai says. “The instant one senses that things were not going well, and the family did not want us there, we could walk way.”
Even with the best plans and intentions things sometimes get tough and photographers, like their subjects, an inextricably affected.
Mark Vergari never ventured into the city during the coverage but expressed his frustration over instances when family members granted approval to photographers to be present, but other people didn’t want them to be there.
“It is almost that you need to wear a T-shirt saying ëIt’s OK for me to be here.’,” Veragi says.
As the coverage continues through weeks and months, Hai stresses the importance of being a good listener and a watchful manager.
“For the first two weeks I was very focused on getting people to the places that we needed for our coverage,” Hai explains. (The Journal News got only two of its 21 people into the city on Sept. 11.) “After two weeks, I began to chat with them one-on-one. We would talk about their families, their mental health, and their feelings about this whole thing. This was a time for not just pushing and pushing but listening and providing a resource.”
“It continues whether we like it or not,” says staff photographer Seth Harrison. “Everything that we cover is touched by Sept. 11, whether it is security at Giants stadium or a second grade class making a donation to the victims. I don’t see any type of real closure for us. Normalcy is defined very differently from here on out, and none of us see an end in sight.”
Steve Schmitt, another staff photographers, admits that he has “lost track,” of the number of memorials and funerals that he has covered.
“We have been welcomed to some and rejected to others,” says Schmitt. Schmitt is greatly encouraged by the paper’s willingness to support the mental health of its photographers. The Journal News has made a conscious effort to rotate memorial and funeral assignments. “Even on the days when you try to get away for the day, this still impacts our lives and becomes overwhelming,” say Schmitt.
“Early on for me it was not troubling me to actually do the work” recalls Harrison. “I was focused. It was going home that was difficult. I thought that I was doing fine, but my anger was unrecognized. My wife, Lauraine, called it to my attention. The office where she worked is in lower Manhattan near the explosion area, and on the day of the attack I kept thinking about her — but after that I did not give her the attention that she needed or deserved.”
After talking with his wife, Harrison realized how he had dealt with his own experience. “I had not been terribly supportive [about] what she experienced. I spent a few days being a victim in a collective sense. I hesitate to call myself a victim, but we all were affected.”
Supplementing Hai’s instructions to his staff, the Journal News Employee Assistance division provided counselors in the building to provide confidential sessions for those who were feeling the strain.
Yet, according the staff, one of the best counselors in the group was Hai himself.
“I had grown up in Vietnam and escaped at age 17; I am drawing from my life experience and providing a sense of perspective for my colleagues,” Hai says. “We have to carry on with our lives. We have to celebrate every moment the same way and cherish and treasure the simple things. The challenge for me is, given the magnitude, how can we keep people motivated and inspired. Life does go on, even if that means walking away.”
TURNING POINTS
Seth Harrision:
“I have come to feel that our world has gotten a lot smalle,r and I hope that the sense of community will last. It has changed my world view. Maybe I will be more patient, compassionate, gentler. The Jewish high holy days allowed me to refocus at home and to get my work together to think about the bigger picture.”
Hai Do:
“The change is that we are in uncharted waters. It is OK to walk away. If a staffer can not cover a memorial, we will try someone else — and the organization supports this.”
Mark Vegari:
“This tragedy was horrible and I will slow down and think more about how I conduct myself. We are use to rush, rush, rush, and get it done. Things are different now.”
Steve Schmitt:
“It has been hard for us to get back to what it was that we did here. I have felt guilty. I remember seeing the smoke billowing into the sky, and wondering how my neighbors were. I live next door alongside many of those people [Wall Street employees].”
