Illustration by: Jeannie Tyrrell
01-12-2023
NAVIGATING MURKY WATERS WHEN GOTCHA JOURNALISM BECOMES THE NORM
by Jeannie Tyrrell
On Dec. 29, we received multiple phone calls at the Mariposa Gazette regarding the rock slide that occurred on a road that’s heading toward Yosemite National Park.
I answered a series of phone calls that day and a gentleman called repeatedly. He asked for a late-breaking update on the situation.
Wanting to know information is fine, but the conversation we were having over the phone included far more dialogue than that.
I’d hate to admit that I was “man-splained” about how journalism supposedly works, but that’s what happened.
The caller (who wouldn’t identify himself ) informed me in the repeated times I spoke with him that it’s our “job” to keep the public informed when disaster strikes in the community.
At that particular point, we had only received several tips regarding what allegedly happened out there on the road. Tips are not facts and we don’t print rumors.
Personally, I prefer the slow approach when it comes down to reporting on a rumored and possible fatality.
Unfortunately, the corporate concoction that the field of journalism has become now has vast amounts of the population at the very edge of their seats when it comes to digesting all the “late-breaking” news that’s out there
in the world right now.
I also strongly believe the notion of “gotcha journalism” is what’s preferred.
People forget that if there were any fatalities, families need to be contacted and notified first. I’m not Graciela Moreno. I also don’t work for TMZ and I never will.
So what am I getting at here? My point is, it is our “job” at the Mariposa Gazette to inform the public, but having ethics and a moral compass does apply as well.
We’re actually human beings that live here on planet Earth too, unlike the bots that can be seen on multiple networks if you’re tapped into the feeding tube.
I’ll admit press releases do come our way sometimes here at the Gazette and I will also admit the rules of what’s considered to be “private” and “public” information has also been somehow reversed in this day-and-age.
Navigating those murky waters in order to provide information to the public has become a bit of an uphill battle. But, I think the bulk of what we put together here is some pretty meaningful stuff.
The small team we have at the Gazette works hard to provide the public with interesting, thought-provoking and balanced snapshots about what’s going on in the Mariposa County community (and beyond) on a weekly basis.
We humans at the Gazette also experience things like compassion fatigue and burnout when we as individuals also experience one crisis after the next.
Luckily, we also maintain a strong hold on the positives and we always seem to find the people that are out there doing great things in the community.
They’re out there killing it and making things 10 times better for everyone else.
We see you here at the Gazette. We hear you and appreciate you. It’s not our “job” to knock down the doors of a federal employee and demand answers about the latest crisis.
I get that Yosemite National Park is in a bit of a bubble and I’m a firm believer in the old journalistic expression of an “expose” but I do know a gag order when I see it.
To wrap things up, I’d just like to say that the Mariposa Gazette has been printing the news around here for a pretty long time and I think the new team is doing a great job.
Note: This editorial was originally published in “The Mariposa Gazette” on 01-12-2023.
