This piece in the Society of Professional Journalists'
Quill magazine touched me. It is not so much a story idea as it is a conversation that you might have in your newsrooms about why you do what you do.
In the piece, former
Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reporter Melissa Manware describes the tough job of a crime reporter and why it's important to keep telling the stories of pain and sorrow that come with the beat. Here is a passage from her essay:
A few years ago, I wrote about Kristen Smith, a teenager who told her family that she had been molested by a relative when she was 9. Days later, I got a call from a woman in her 40s. She wanted me to know that reading Kristen's story gave her the courage to finally talk about what happened to her. She was molested as a child and until that day had never told anyone.
That's what made the work worth the heartache. And that's what a reporter, especially a crime reporter, has to remember to stay positive when so many of the stories are negative.
Every day you think, "Maybe this story will convince someone to reach out to a friend or co-worker in need. Maybe this will move a woman to leave a violent relationship, a drug addict to seek help, or a rape victim to come forward. Maybe it will lead someone to come forward with information about who committed this horrible crime."
Good stories really can make a difference. And that is why no matter how horrible the crime, no matter how sad, reporters can't stop writing these stories. Stories change lives, they give voices to the voiceless and, most importantly, they remind all of us of our humanity.
I would hope most journalists are similarly motivated, and that they are not covering crime stories because they are "cheap and easy" to tell.
in my daily reporting work, my speaking engagements and in...
