A challenging question

At a weekly news meeting, the Gazette police and courts reporter had a dilemma for all of us. A few months ago, a police officer resigned after questions about the use of excessive force, the third complaint against him. The police chief was quoted as saying the officer pushed the suspect over with his foot. The reporter finally had gotten a copy of video taken from the police car camera and wanted everyone to watch it.

The tape was poor quality; a spotlight from a second police car created a white blob where much of the action was happening. It looked as if the officer not only kicked the man to the ground but also hit him.

The newsroom engaged in a debate for about half an hour about what to do with the tape. Should it be posted online? Did it merit another story? The police chief asked that we do nothing with the tape because of negative publicity.

One reporter said that in the interest of aggressive watchdog journalism, we should put the video on our Web site. Let readers make their own judgments, the reporter suggested. Another reporter made a great point by asking whether or not this would further anything we had done or would do. In the end, editors posted the video on the Web site, a decision I agreed with. It’s gotten mixed comments, most of them supporting the decision.

As I listened to experienced reporters debate making the tape public, I again realized just how much I love this profession and the challenges it presents.

-- Jasa Santos, University of Montana, The Billings (Mont.) Gazette