When an editor deploys a reporter to an active crime scene, what is expected?

In order to deliver the best work possible, detailed and accurate reporting is essential for producing quality crime reports, especially under tight deadlines. To execute, a smart approach is to create repeatable patterns for the basics of breaking news coverage.

• Look beyond the official account: Seek to gather info from authorities, but prioritize witnesses and community members first as they tend to leave the area and can be difficult to track down later. Investigators rely on firsthand accounts to guide investigations and journalists should as well.
• Triage: Identify the most critical details immediately using the “5 Ws and an H” (Who, What, When, Where, Why and How), but understand investigators may not immediately have all those answers.
• Lead with humanity: You’re entering the worst day of a victim’s, family’s or community’s life, often within minutes or hours of a traumatic event. Be patient. Allow for long pauses and emotion. Ask permission before raising sensitive subjects. For many survivors, talking to a reporter can be cathartic.
• Stay mobile: Walking around the area may introduce a new witness, a new perspective on the scene or a better understanding of surroundings.
• Seek all the facts: Include the ages, vantage points and background information of witnesses, which may help audiences judge the value of their info. ALWAYS seek contact information for follow-up reporting or fact-checking purposes.
• Sketch a writing plan: Once the initial reporting is done, quickly outline a plan. This may help identify holes in the reporting.

Just as the criminal justice system requires solid evidence to solve crimes and administer justice, professional crime reporting needs accurate information to fulfill its mission. Reporters are only as good as their sources, so here are some recommendations for garnering good information from reliable sources:

• Identify expertise: Interview voices with information or access critical to your report or story — be that a victim, family member, witness or investigator. Explain to your audience why they matter.
• Trust is paramount: Your word is your currency. Once trust is established, sources will talk for various reasons (ambition, desire for truth-telling, personal connection and even catharsis).
• Understand the stakes: Realize some victims can be retraumatized by telling their story. Some witnesses may face risk if their identity is publicly revealed. Exercise practices of trauma-informed reporting.
• Persistence and visibility: To gain sources, you must be seen. Showing up consistently shows a dedication to try to understand the agencies, communities and topics you cover. Attend community meetings and crime scenes regularly so your face becomes familiar.
• Transparency: Victims often feel violated and lose trust in strangers. Law enforcement officers are trained to read people and may be wary of inauthenticity. Be yourself and be transparent about your goals.
• Manage relationships, not friendships: Maintain professional boundaries while displaying genuine understanding and interest for the work people do and their value to your work on behalf of audiences. 

Rules of engagement

Always clarify the terms of a conversation before starting. Reporters and sources sometimes define “background” differently and both parties must agree to the definitions:

• Off the record: Typically, this information cannot be used beyond informing the journalist or the publication.
• Deep background: Nonattributable information that may not be published but can be used to attain publishable information from additional sources.
• On background: Information can be used for publication but not attributed to the source or the source’s agency.
• On the record: Information may be published and fully attributed to the source.

Know your legal rights

Publicly available information and records vary by jurisdiction. The same applies to observing and recording law enforcement activity in public places. Review freedom of information and open records laws for your state or municipality. Consider discussing your rights with legal counsel for your employer.

Every police or federal law enforcement agency develops its own operating procedures and culture, which must be understood to effectively explore the work of the agency and its officials.

• Know the PIOs: Most agencies employ or designate public information officers — officials or civilians tasked with speaking with the press and public. These officials may have titles such as media relations, public affairs or others, but all become the first line of communication for a reporter on deadline or new to covering the department.
• Respect the rank: Insignia, rank structure and chain of command aren’t just decoration. Understanding them helps a reporter identify the appropriate expert sources. Showing respect for the work they put into earning those titles opens doors.
• Master the geography: Learn the jurisdictional maps, patrol structures and talk to commanders at all levels to better understand neighborhood challenges.
• Curiosity over assumptions: Cops are trained to believe anyone is capable of anything. As a reporter, maintain that same level of objective curiosity. When you don’t know something, ask.

Crime reporting can put you in physical danger. Here’s how to reduce the risk and protect yourself without compromising the story.

• Safety first: If you feel unsafe, you are unsafe. When working in unfamiliar or potentially hostile environments, consider taking the following steps:
  • Bring a reporting partner.
  • Identify neighboring police or fire stations ahead of assignments as a place of retreat.
  • Plan escape routes in case of threats or assault.
  • Stay in contact with supervisors before and after (or even during) assignments.
• Avoid arrest: It’s best to avoid confrontation with police officers or federal agents in tense situations.
  • This doesn’t mean follow all police commands (such as turning over notes or your phone without a warrant or subpoena), but when asked to back away it is often prudent to do so.
  • Contact a supervisor for further guidance if necessary.
  • Do not cross police lines: members of the press have no special access.
  • Do not trespass: private property laws apply to reporters.
• Dress for the job: Your attire should reflect the environment you are working in, not traditional business attire.
• Protest safety: First Amendment demonstrations can quickly descend into dangerous situations, even for reporters. Consider some of these measures to stay safe:
  • Wear protective clothing and gear.
  • Act like a human yo-yo to avoid being trapped between opposing sides or deep in crowds. Move in to quickly capture observations, then pull yourself back to safety as soon as possible. Repeat as needed.
  • Always have escape routes and a designated meeting space outside the tension zone to connect with colleagues or call a supervisor.
  • Use a temporary marker to write a contact number on your arm in case of arrest or emergency.
• Remember to stay in contact: Editors and producers should know of your whereabouts, especially if you risk injury or arrest.

A crime scene produces a first story, but it rarely produces the most important one. Real accountability reporting comes from what happens next.

• Watch for the ripple effects: After the initial crime, look for follow-up stories that may enhance the understanding of the incident or the lasting impact. Illuminating narratives may be found by following the recovery of a victim or survivor, examining the progress of an investigation or unique investigative methodology, or examining how a community reacts to tragedy.
• Rethink the audience: Don’t just write for a general audience. Consider what specific groups — parents, educators, the elderly or different socio-economic classes — need to know in order to feel safe or better understand a crime issue.
• Contextualize stats: Politicians and police officials may use statistics to distort. Seek context for crime stats, including using academic experts and neighborhood level organizers, who may challenge assertions of government officials.
• Humanize the data: Use ground-level reporting and human stories to give color to cold crime statistics.

Covering crime will of course present issues, obstacles and dilemmas not covered in this guide. But following these practices should provide useful guidelines for accountability reporting.