Sunday, March 19, 2017

Watchdog Journalism

I am amazed at how many times my courses and studied concepts have overlapped things I have been doing on the job.
This past week, we've been discussing watchdog journalism in my Social Role of the Media class at Kent State University. While talking, discussing and studying about watchdog journalism, my current publication published two stories about a longtime bookkeeper for a local irrigation district who is alleged to have embezzled more than $800,000 from the district's coffers during a six-year span.
During that investigation, we also uncovered allegations of an affair, gambling and other misdeeds allegedly committed by this person, who worked as the bookkeeper for the irrigation district for 42 years.
We were able to obtain legal documents from a civil lawsuit complaint filed by the district against this person. Criminal charges are pending by the district attorney's office.
Part of watchdog journalism is having a good working relationship with law enforcement and the legal system (attorneys, court officials, judges) who helped us obtain the documents we needed. The allegations first started as a rumor when a woman called me (anonymously) and told me what she had "heard." A couple of phone calls to the right people and we were in possession of the needed documentation (without the need to use FOIA). It is certainly much easier, and quicker, to get what you need if you have good working relationships with the aforementioned folks. It avoids the hassle and red tape of filing a FOIA and waiting several days for the request to be filled.
The piece was the talk of the area and was listed as our top-read story. We plan to follow up with a story about how this can/should be avoided in the future as we have two other active embezzlement allegations. One case was recently resolved when a National Parks Service worker was sentenced to two years in prison for stealing money from admissions fees into a local park.
There seems to be a need to watchdog journalism, more now than ever before, in my area.

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Context is important

Seeing is not always believing.
That was not any more evident than last week when a photo circulated on social media depicting Kellyanne Conway, adviser to President Trump, kneeling on a couch in the Oval Office. Inside the Oval Office was President Trump and leaders from historically black universities and colleges.
The photo shows Conway holding a smartphone in her hand and legs tucked underneath her on the Oval Office couch. The photo went viral and was the subject of news stories, comments of outrage from politicians and was even the subject of a ongoing gag on Saturday Night Live last night.

Here is the photo:

Here is where context is important. I am willing to bet not too many people saw this other photo, from the same event, taken moments after the first shot.

As you can see, Conway wasn't disrespectfully lounging on the Oval Office couch playing with her smartphone. She was trying to take a photo from a particular angle.
One can argue she could have stood on the floor in the center and taken the photo, or kneeled on the floor for the photo, but take a look at the way the group is gathered ... a sort of semi-circle around the President. She was trying to get a unique angle shot, is my guess.
I am not familiar with Conway's photography skills and am not questioning it. That's not the point. The point is the first photo drew outrage from folks who didn't bother to seek out context, which is provided in the second photo.
Conway has made some head-scratching comments and done some questionable things ... but this isn't one of them.
It all goes back to people sharing things on social media without knowing a little bit more about what actually happened and why.
The adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words," certainly applies ... but this generated all kinds of incorrect words and assumptions.
Context is important.