torres-some thoughts

Since starting here at Newhouse in the broadcast journalism program, I have noticed an interesting transition in how I view the news. There is a big difference between hearing or watching the news, and reporting the news. I notice that when I hear of a murder or stabbing or shooting, I have a de-sensitized reaction to it. For a couple of seconds, I think wow that is horrible, or wow that is really sad. But within the next couple of seconds, I am thinking "this is breaking news!" It actually reminds me of a time when I spoke to one of my professors (can't remember which one..) about a car accident on the freeway. I said "I have a story, there was a drive by shooting in d-town syracuse..and yada yada.." and the first response to my story was "did anyone die?'..and I sad.."um..no", and he said "well..its not a story then."
Is it sad that this is how reporters think? I mean, I don't really know. I have noticed this change in myself and in other students. In many ways, I think that this is a good quality for a reporter...always looking for the story, reporting the news, staying curious. But, as a person, I think we as journalists need to remember that we report about people. That horrible things happen to real people, and before we chase a police officer of fire chief to find out how many people were injured or killed. We should stop and consider what the people involved are going through and respect their pain.