Covering Violence: Writing the Trauma Story

Our reading from this week in "Covering Violence" focused on the process of writing a trauma story. While I've been getting more and more comfortable with the the principles of covering trauma, I was still uneasy about how to actually go about writing the story itself.

There were a handful of important take-aways from this chapter, but there were two that I wanted to reflect on specifically because I think they're very much related: accuracy and details.

Storie on trauma are difficult to cover in the first place- mentally, emotionally, sometimes even physically- but even more damage can be done if the details of the event aren't completely accurate. It paints a different picture from what actually occurred and can glamorize things in a way that is completely insensitive to those impacted by the trauma. Something as seemingly minute as misspelling someone's name, an inaccurate description of their job or career, or the chronology of the event can be incredibly harmful to those grieving from the event.

Accuracy is important in any, in every news story rather, but even more so when emotions are at the peak of devastation and heart ache. As a journalist, it is our job to be accurate, to tell the story as it happened, to represent the event and the people involved in the most sensitive and respectable manner.

But what about when was is accurate is too graphic and painful to include? How can we go about telling the story in the most accurate way if we have to be mindful of the harm the details of the event can do? The chapter suggested that, "Sometimes, sadly, it is impossible not to report critical details details of a crime without adding to the grief of families of friends. Journalists often must be the bearers of bad news, like it or not," (Simpson and Cote, 124).

It's a fine line to walk in regard to what kind of information is important in the coverage of a traumatic event and what kind of information will provoke horror or devastation. A lot of it is about personal judgment and reflection: Is this really necessary? What good does this information do for this story? I think as journalists, we need to remember that these stories are about people, and that we are people, and to think about the purpose of the information that is included and how it will contribute to the narrative of the story.