Technology Troubles and Complimentary Caller

A few weeks ago I got a call on my work phone, our assignment editor frantically asking me to come in early. There had been an officer-involved fatal shooting with possibly several victims. It happened a few hours before in Myrtle Creek, about an hour and a half north. I rushed to work, grabbed gear and directions, and jammed up I-5.

I grabbed video and interviews at the crime scene. Found a mom who lives just down the street and saw the standoff. I shot my pieces in front of the camera, describing the scene. I felt good about what I got and what I was putting together.

By this time it was about 4:00pm. Not enough time to drive back and get the report and video back for the 5, 6, and 6:30. I had a laptop and would sned the stories back using the internet. But ran into some online obstrutctions. Technology didn't work and nothing got back to the station. It's the most frustrating feeling in the business-- by no fault of your own, all your hard work, is for nothing.

Frustrated, I went back to Medford and put everything together for the 11:00 broadcast. This time nothing would get in my way. I put it together and finished it all up.

Later that week, someone called our newsroom, wanting to talk to me. It was a man from Myrtle Creek. He watched me out there. He saw everything happening earlier in the day. His coworker was the first shooting victim. He watched and read "all 32 articles" about the shooting. Newspapers and TV news reports from Medford, Roseburg, Eugene. He said many of them got their facts wrong, misspoke, took words and quotes out of context, and sensationalized. He said my report was the truest, most factual, and did the most justice to what actually happened.

The best compliments come from the people directly involved with the stories.

Full of gratitude and pride, I thanked him, and headed out to take on the rest of the day.