GUEST BLOG: The Death Lesson

It is, I am sorry to say, a lesson I've had repeated to me more than a few times in this business. Been there too many times, most recently just about every media outlet under the sun (with the notable exception of our friends at WKYC Channel 3) slipped on the facts enroute to proclaiming Stephanie Tubbs Jones had passed away.

This latest lesson comes from Marcy Pappafava, our primary midday anchor and assignment editor for our stations and AkronNewsNow.com. It is always a tough lesson and we agreed worth sharing with our readers and audience. She provides the following:

- - -

My beloved late father always pushed education. Though he more often than not sent me to the encyclopedia with an exasperated sigh, I know he was pleased with my curious nature. I credit support of my 'need to know' character as one of the reasons I got into the broadcast business. Of course, learning doesn't always come from books. If you are mindful, you will see that there are lessons everywhere like the one I learned today about grace from the man I, and our newsroom, reported had passed away.


A listener called us early this morning to say Ray Lurtz was alive and well and had not died earlier this year as we reported in our story about Sharon Township. Mr. Lurtz was kind enough to contact our news director personally, noting the news of his apparent demise came as a surprise to him and a shock to his wife.


It was an error. The correct information was in the audio interview but the written version had two names reversed. It was actually trustee Emil Bolas who died earlier in 2008.


Newsroom errors happen for a plethora of reasons: we're short staffed, tired, busy, under deadlines, in a hurry, late for an appointment, multi-tasking, working quickly...human.


Human is the word Mr Lurtz used when I called him this morning to apologize. He was gracious and kind and said we're all human and all make mistakes. His wife was just as warm when I reached her. She learned of the alleged death of her husband from a friend who heard it on WAKR.


Though I can't say my News Director was as cordial, we were on the same page. He teaches the staff that when you make a mistake you must correct it and own up to it. No hiding behind a correction on page xxx, no pretending it never happened in the first place. It's a practice that our newsroom aims to perfect.


The vital take away though is to remember that we are talking about people. It's not just a victim or a suspect or a dead person of any sort. It's someone as close as our brother, wife, mother, neighbor, even a pet. When it becomes just a story it could be time to take a break.


I've heard that doctors are taught to keep a professional distance and to an extent the same thing is said around newsrooms. I, for one, want to be in the care of someone who missed that lesson. If I found myself on the other end of the news I'd want the same from my reporter.


Marcy Pappafava can be reached at mpappafava@rcrg.net