Document text
http://www.omniture.com --> Mail Tribune Blogs --> --> « Change is in the wind Video adventure » Coming attractions Posted by Mark Freeman Sometimes journalism can look awfully predatory to the general public, occasionally even from the inside as well. When tragedy befalls someone, we seem to swoop toward the vctims like vultures, often racing to be the other media scavengers. As one of those scavengers, I can tell you it’s rarely really like that. In fact, it’s often the opposite. And my upcoming Thursday outdoor column on the Mail Tribune’s sports page is a great example of how the subjects of bad fortune in a column or news story often don’t end up feeling victimized at all. This story certainly is about tragedy: Two longtime friends and fishing partners get hit with a sneaker wave near the Chetco River bar, capsizing their 15-foot alumimum boat. They are tossed into the sea, without life jackets. Eventually, both are pulled from the surf by passersby on the beach, but only the boat operator survives. Some readers might think, how could you possibly interview the survivor for a story? My experience says, how can you not? I tracked the survivor down, called and left him a message. He returned my call two hours later. I found him gracious and grateful that I made the effort to find him. He was more than willing to answer any and every question about what happened, what he was thinking, what he was feeling. And, as with every similar victim I have interviewed in 20 years of covering Southern Oregon, he thanked me when we were done. My job isn’t to decide for this man whether he should share his ordeal. My job is to give him that choice.It’s his tragedy, after all. He deserves a chance to have a say in what the world knows about it. His story is compelling and sad. But it’s his to share. He wants you to read it so, perhaps, you don’t end up repeating his experience. Stay tuned. This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 7th, 2007 at 1:41 pm and is filed under Outdoor Journal . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site. One Response to “Coming attractions” glenn charles Says: February 8th, 2007 at 9:54 am ” I found him gracious and greatful”–grateful. I’d d[deleted]d near volunteer to be a free proofreader for the paper over things like this–not that I’m compulsive or anything. –Glenn Leave a Reply Mail Tribune Blogs is proudly powered by WordPress Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS) .