Why I haven’t left local news – yet
This piece is a response to C5 writer Katie McKiever’s article, “Why I got out of local TV news — and what I thought was my dream job.”
It was midnight and I jolted awake to the sound of someone banging on my door. It was my camera man.
“Somebody shot a cop out on the beach! Why haven’t you answered your phone?!”
I was a young reporter, only six months into my career and Sgt. Kevin Kight had been shot and killed in the line of duty before my early morning shift was scheduled to begin. A few minutes later, I’d be standing at the bloody scene.
We spent the next six hours listening to scanner traffic and chasing cops on a manhunt.
At sunrise, I’d be the only local journalist with footage of the gunman’s face as he was apprehended. Nothing about that felt like an accomplishment to me.
A year and a half later, I’d give up reporting.
The news business can feel like an endless stream of tragedy.
Senseless killings, horrific accidents and natural disasters are daily headlines, and I was not the right person to tell those stories. But, somebody has to.
That’s why journalists impress me. Local journalists, in particular. It’s why I still work very closely with them 12 years after that night we searched for a killer in Panama City Beach, Fla.
As I read about my former colleague’s experience with local news, it felt so familiar. I think most humans are disturbed by the amount of tragedy in the headlines. I wish it wasn’t that way. I know the journalists who report on it wish it wasn’t that way.
But, there’s an indifference that must be mastered to be an objective witness to history. They learn this kind of forced apathy that battles back emotion and calmly delivers the facts.
Local journalism connects people to their community. That connection can trigger pain and disgust, but also inspire compassion and awe. It gives voice to the voiceless. It holds the powerful accountable.
It makes a difference.
Journalists come into work every morning knowing that they have little power over what story they’ll get to tell that day. The pay is crap. The hours are worse. They’re definitely not in it for public adoration, certainly not these days.
But, the moments that shine through shine brightly.
The local team I work near has this commitment to telling the truth that inspires me to spend my days recruiting more eyeballs to what they do. Yes, I’m the WBTV Director of Marketing. No, this was not some guerrilla PR trick that Katie McKiever and I cooked up when she wrote her article.
I miss Katie and her amazing storytelling talent. I’m so happy for her in her new role, especially now that I’ve learned more about how she silently struggled.
She’s right. The local news business can be brutal.
Her article made me appreciate my colleagues that much more.
Photo: Courtesy of Robby Thomas
This story was originally published October 8, 2017 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Why I haven’t left local news – yet."