No No No....
/Being a TV Journalist is an awesome job on so many days and on other days it totally sucks.
WSYX Anchor Jessica Ralston sent out this tweet after the Orlando shootings:
FTVLive likes Jessica and she does a great job and we hate to single her out, but that is exactly what we are going to do and explain why she is so wrong.
As a Reporter, you have one job and one job only. That is to report the news, which entails the who, what, where, when and why. The very first one of those w's is WHO. That is critical to every story.
I understand what Ralston is trying to say, but as a Journalist, she doesn't get that choice. You report the story, bottom line. You have to check emotion at the door and go to work. You deliver the entire story and that's it.
You want to be a blogger, a commentator or an activist, you can then decide if you want to use the shooter's name or not. But, you are a Journalist and it's your job to tell your viewers the whole story.
Ralston's heart is in the right place, but as a Journalist, you need to do the right thing and report the news. Including the who, what, where, when and why.
Just saying....
