Fire, Crime, Accident reporting

Preparation Sometimes you can check your newspaper library. At other times, breaking news is occurring and you must gather information at the scene. Sometimes you find out about a crime when you arrive at a police station on a routine check of reports.

Crime reporting sources Police officials and their reports Victim or victims Witness or witnesses

Good crime reporting Do not depend on the police report alone. You may miss: Accurate information Interesting details Police cover-ups A multiple-source story

Information from police reports A description of what happened Location of the incident Name, age and address of the victim Name, age and address of the suspect Offense police believe suspect may have committed. Extent of injuries, if any. Names, ages and addresses of witnesses.

Information to obtain at scene of accident, fire Description of what happened Location of the incident Name, age and address of the victim or victims Extent of injuries, if any. Names, ages and addresses of witnesses, if any.

At the accident scene Question the person in charge of the investigation Try to find and interview witnesses Try to find friends or relatives of the victims If possible, interview the victims Talk with others at the scene Be sensitive to the victims and their families. Don’t ask, “How do you feel?”

Source checklist for accidents, fires, disasters Civilian witnesses. Victims of personal injury. People who were involved but escaped injury. Victims of property damage Neighbors and passersby Relatives and neighbors of victims. Rescue workers Government regulatory agencies

Tips for writing the story Be an active observer – many of the facts and all of the color are gathered at the scene. Actively solicit information from those who are there. Move as quickly as possible to collect basic information

More tips What basic information do you need? Names, ages, addresses and conditions of the victims. Accounts of witnesses or police reconstructionists of what happened Why or how it happened or who was at fault, as determined by officials in charge of the investigation.

Writing the story Decide what the most important element is for your lead. Death or injury? Property damage? Charges filed? Number of accidents or crimes in area?

More on writing the story Use color Use more than one source Use chronological order (sometimes), but only after lead. Use inverted pyramid Use quotes Consider sidebars

Matters of taste, ethics When should the media reveal details of how a murder or another crime was committed? When should the media reveal details about sex crimes or print the names of sex-crime victims? When should the media reveal a suspect’s confession or even the fact that the subject confessed?

Matters of taste, ethics When should the media reveal a defendant’s prior criminal record? When should the media reveal the names of juveniles charged with crime?