Journalism at UMD

“They were looking for anything they could get,�? said Loeschen. “The last thing I ever expected when I woke up that morning was to be on the 10 o’clock news.�?

Loeschen was on his way to the Twins game on Aug. 1, 2007. After being stuck in traffic on the Interstate 35W bridge for about a half an hour, he finally found clear driving as he accelerated off the bridge at a few minutes past 6 p.m. He said that he hadn’t felt or heard the bridge collapse, and didn’t put much thought into the emergency vehicles that sped by him a minute later. Even though he was one of the last people over the bridge before it collapsed, Loeschen didn’t learn much about what had happened until he had lights and a camera in his face. Up until that point, he hadn’t even known that he had been mere seconds away from dropping about 60 feet from a solid foundation to the river below.

“I recognized several of the cars on TV from traffic,�? he said. “The truck that burned up on the bridge… I was behind him for most of the 30 minutes.�?

Loeschen said he was at the game for about an hour before he received the news about the collapse. As he exited the Metrodome, there were camera crews and slews of journalists waiting. His first notion was to call his wife and tell her that he was OK. His conversation was overheard by a WCCO reporter who asked him if he was willing to be interviewed. Just as soon as he could agree, the lights were turned on him and the camera was rolling.

“They were very courteous about it,�? he said of the reporters. “They just wanted stories from anyone who was close.�?

Though he did think that the particular reporter who he talked to had composed himself very respectfully and calmly, his major problem was with the overwhelming swarm of reporters present. This begs the question of whether this problem can be avoided; how should a reporter on the scene of a tragedy compose his or herself?

On the scene…

Jason DeRusha was the first WCCO reporter on the scene of the collapse. He was on the air at 6:21 p.m. As he arrived he could see the smoke and hear the sirens. His cell phone was patched into the television feed and he was immediately put on the air. DeRusha remembers vividly seeing the burning semi-truck and watching people who were bleeding and in all kinds of various physical conditions coming up the hill from the river. He recognized that he had a job to do, but also knew that many people were looking for assistance.

“The human side of me just wanted to help,�? said DeRusha. “I guess I was just trying to do both.�?

In a time like this, a journalist’s ethical convictions quickly become evident. Knowing that this was an incredibly important moment and that huge numbers of people were watching, DeRusha needed to make a split-second decision about how he would react.

“My main concern was to be calm and not contribute to any panic,�? he said. “This was big enough already, there was no need for over-dramatization.�?

His ten years of experience told him that it was important to only report on what he knew to be true. DeRusha remembers saying “I don’t know�? a lot as the anchors continued to ask him questions. Though his impulse was to fill the airtime and he knew confirmation could take several hours, he decided to only report on what he could physically see. He would later receive emails thanking him for his accurate reporting and for being “the voice of calm�?.

A different ethical consideration that he had to face was the manner in which he would gather information. As they were released, the children who had been trapped in the bus passed right by DeRusha. He addressed the first child by immediately asking if he was OK. The child made it clear that he did not want to talk and DeRusha. Not wanting to badger him, DeRusha left him alone.

“A ton of other reporters were chasing the kid,�? he said. “It seemed like a no-brainer to me, the last thing they needed was more trauma.�?

His ethical decision soon paid off as the next person to be released from the scene was Jeremy Hernandez, the 20-year-old who had helped over 50 children to safety. Because he was right there, DeRusha was able to get the first interview with the soon-to-be hero.

“It just comes down to being a decent human being,�? DeRusha conceded. “Treat people how you would want to be treated and hope it pays off in the long run.�?

He said that the entire time, he didn’t really feel the competitive pressure. When asked about Larry Loeschen’s experience, however, he seemed mildly pessimistic.

“There is really no solution to that problem,�? said DeRusha. “People are going to get swarmed.�?

He threw out the idea of networks pooling information so that only one crew would have to go, saying that it has been used before. DeRusha pointed out, however, that in a situation like the bridge collapse, there is not much time to plan. In fact, all the planning for this event seemed to fall on one man’s shoulders.

Back at the studio…

Just after six o’clock, Mike Caputa packed up his things and walked out of WCCO studio. He was thinking about his upcoming vacation when, just then, his cell phone rang. The news director was out of town and, being second-in-command, Caputa was in charge. He had heard something had happened to the bridge and when he saw the traffic cameras were out, he knew it was bad.

He compared the feeling of finding out about the collapse to the morning of 9/11.

“When you’re not around, it seems like there is more panic than needed,�? said Caputa. “When I find out all the details, I could understand it better then.�?

The next thing he knew, he was directing reporters, camera crews and a traffic helicopter to the scene. He was receiving a constant barrage of phone calls from the public trying to figure out what was going on. He had to remain in contact with the CBS network, CNN and CSPAN who had all picked up the feed. The FBI quickly became involved in the process with the threat of terrorism in the back of everyone’s mind. Non-stop phone calls began to come in with “insider information�? on the collapse. People were claiming that they had seen explosions from the bridge just before the collapse. Engineers and experts had suggested everything from construction accidents to terrorism.

“All of it needed to be considered,�? Caputa recalled. “My job was to sort through what I would report and what I wouldn’t.�?

Besides the unconfirmed details about why the bridge had collapsed, there were other ethical decisions that had to be made about what would go on the air. Photographs and video feed began to pour in from the site, some of which showed graphic images. One dilemma he recalls having to face was the decision of whether to show the up-close footage that would identify the vehicles.

“On the one hand, we knew many families didn’t know if their loved ones were involved yet,�? said Caputa. “We ultimately decided that it was too newsworthy a situation to let go.�?

Throughout the 40-straight hours that Caputa stayed at the station following the disaster, his main concern was with accuracy. He made a point to stress when details were and were not yet confirmed. He said that it was easy for reporters to get caught up in the emotion of the story. He would remind them of a reiterated phrase at WCCO, which says that it is better to be right than to be first.

“Journalism is about trust,�? he said. “Sensational details which aren’t true will be remembered.�?

Media can be one of the most competitive businesses but, according to Caputa, the market was served well that day.

“Quality and ethics go up in situations like that,�? he concluded. “The best of everyone came through.�?

From the desk…

WCCO anchor Jeanette Trompeter was off of work and with friends just after 6 that day. She remembers hearing the news about the bridge and immediately feeling the need to head back to the station. She said that the biggest ethical guideline was deciding how to balance newsgathering with respecting and cooperating with the police and rescue crews on the scene.

She compared the initial scene to a graveyard, saying that a reporter could get as close as she felt safe to get. The graveyard, however, eventually became more like a crime scene as the police began to rope areas off and move the press and public back.

“They were so protective, they felt like they had to protect the scene from everybody,�? she said of the on-site police. “There used to be an unwritten mutual cooperation between police and the media.�?

She attributes this trend to recent advancements in technology. Because virtually anyone could be wielding a camera phone, she assumes that respect of the media no longer comes into play. This need for overprotection did not quite sit right with Trompeter. She referenced a family of one of the victims who lived out-of-state and wanted to see the collapse to get some closure before they went home. According to her, they were having “a heck of a time�? trying to get the authorities to comply with their wishes.

The key to being able to react in an ethical manner at any moment is by having a firm ethical background to fall back on. This is where the role of the news director and specific station guidelines come into play.

A journalist’s role…

A quote by Ralph W. Sockman states: “A man has no more character than he can command in a time of crisis.�? If this is true, then the ability to maintain journalistic integrity must start at home. WCCO-TV does not have its own written code of ethics to abide by. According to news director Scott Libin, however, each journalist abides by a combination of CBS corporate codes, The Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) codes, and the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) codes.

“Ethical decision making is important,�? said Libin. “Values can be different on a situational basis.�?

Libin, who taught ethics at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in Florida before coming to WCCO late 2007, was reluctant to categorize anything as black and white. He addressed the idea of complete objectivity as unnecessary.

“Perspective is a good thing for local journalism,�? he said. “We want journalists who grew up here, who live here and who drive on roads and bridges here.�?

He added that while people will always have opinions, the importance lies in keeping those opinions from influencing stories. In fact, he emphasized complete accuracy as the staple of a good news broadcast.

“I am firmly opposed to bad reporting,�? Libin said. “Skepticism is a very important part of the job. If your mother tells you she loves you, you should check it out first.�?

In order to be able to effectively cover a story as important as the bridge collapse, a strong ethical base must already be in place. Like the bridge itself, when excess pressure is put on a reporter, a good foundation is the most important. While each of the four members of WCCO interviewed had their own individual roles, the underlying rules for ethical journalism seem to be accuracy and respect.

You have to think about what the viewers want,�? said Jason DeRusha. “Play the long-term game and it will pay off.�?