The story behind a heartbreaking story
What if the only real family you had left in this world turned out to be one of the most notorious mass murderers in history?
That’s the reality for Zachary Cruz and the subject of a must-read story written by Washington Post features writer Jessica Contrera that appeared in Sunday’s edition.
Nearly a year ago — Valentine’s Day 2018 — 14 students and three staff members were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The shooter was then 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, Zachary’s older brother by two years. The two shared the same mother and were adopted as children. But their adoptive parents are now dead. They only have each other.
“I’m stuck between loving him and hating him because of what he did,’’ Zach told the Post.
How did Contrera report and write such a powerful story? It started when she met Zach at a news conference last June when he was announcing his anti-bullying organization. By then, he had moved to Virginia and was under the care of Nexus Services, an immigration bonds services company that the Post has investigated for allegedly preying on undocumented immigrants.
“Nexus agreed to let me come down and spend some time with Zach, but repeatedly canceled at the last minute,’’ Contrera said in an e-mail exchange with Poynter.
When Nexus finally didn’t cancel, Contrera still couldn’t meet Zach. She was in the hospital because of a kidney stone.
“I was starting to think the meeting wasn’t going to happen,’’ Contrera said.
Contrera traveled to Florida in December to finally to meet Zach at one of Nikolas Cruz’s hearings. She was able to interview him, although Zach was never alone when they spoke. Contrera returned to Washington to write the story. She spent a day working on a thorough outline and then spent two days writing the story.
“One section at a time with many snack breaks in between,’’ Contrera said.
She turned over a first draft and after several revisions with editor Lynda Robinson had a brilliant piece of work. The online version includes a mesmerizing video of an emotional exchange between the two brothers.
“I think it’s fair to say it was really difficult,’’ Contrera said. “For one, it’s just an incredibly emotional subject. I reported in Parkland immediately after the shooting, trying to understand how deeply traumatizing it was for the kids involved. The horror of it all stuck with me.’’
Brokaw’s controversial comments
NBC News veteran Tom Brokaw stirred up controversy during an appearance on Sunday’s “Meet The Press,’’ after saying, “Hispanics should work harder at assimilation.’’ Brokaw made his comments during a roundtable discussion on the government shutdown over President Donald Trump’s demand for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“It’s the intermarriage that is going on and the cultures that are conflicting with each other,” Brokaw said. “I also happen to believe that the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation. That’s one of the things I’ve been saying for a long time. You know, they ought not to be just codified in their communities but make sure that all their kids are learning to speak English, and that they feel comfortable in the communities. And that’s going to take outreach on both sides, frankly.”
Later in the program, “PBS NewsHour’s’’ Yamiche Alcindor, also on the roundtable, push backed on Brokaw’s words, saying, “I would just say that we also need to adjust what we think of as America. You’re talking about assimilation. I grew up in Miami, where people speak Spanish, but their kids speak English. And the idea that we think Americans can only speak English, as if Spanish and other languages wasn’t always part of America, is, in some ways, troubling.’’
Brokaw was immediately criticized for his remarks and he responded on Twitter on Sunday night. In a series of tweets, Brokaw wrote:
“I feel terrible a part of my comments on Hispanics offended some members of that proud culture
“From my days reporting on cesar chavez to documenting the many contributions of hispanics in all parts of our culture
“I’ve worked hard to knock down false stereo types. In my final comment in Meet I said ALL sides hv to work harder
“At finding common ground — which I strongly believe. Dialogue not division.’’
Two hours later, Brokaw added more on Twitter, writing:
“I am sorry, truly sorry, my comments were offense to many, the great enduring american tradition of diversity is to be celebrated and cherished. yamiche, thank u for your comments. Let’s go forward together.
And then:
Finally, I am sorry — I never intended to disparage any segment of our rich, diverse society which defines who we are.
And then:
Finally, I am sorry I failed to convey my strong belief that diversity — dynamic and inclusive is what makes America great.
Newseum to be sold
The Newseum, the institution devoted to news and the First Amendment, is looking for a new home. Johns Hopkins University is buying the Washington, D.C. building that houses the Newseum for $372.5 million. The Freedom Forum, the private foundation that created the Newseum and is its primary funder, told The Washington Post that the Newseum will stay in its current spot on Pennsylvania Avenue until the end of the year.
“This was a difficult decision, but it was a responsible one,’’ Jan Neuharth, chair and chief executive of the Freedom Forum, told the Washington Post in a statement. “We remain committed to continuing our programs — in a financially sustainable way — to champion the five freedoms of the First Amendment and to increase public awareness about the importance to a free and fair press.’’
In its current location, a prime spot not far from the Capitol and the National Mall, the Newseum boasts of having seven levels with 15 galleries and 15 theatres.
In its announcement, Johns Hopkins said after it takes over next year, it will spend about two years renovating the building.
“It’s a huge facility, and we do intend to make some major changes,’’ said Lee Coyle, Johns Hopkins Senior Director of Planning and Architecture.
The bigger question for news junkies is where the Newseum will end up — a question with no answer at the moment.
CNN gets the scoop
How did CNN get the dramatic video of the FBI raiding the home of Donald Trump confidante Roger Stone last Friday morning? Many believe CNN was tipped off, but the network says it was good, old-fashioned journalism. In a story on its website, CNN says there was “just enough evidence lurking in the special counsel’s activity over the past week that CNN’s team covering the Mueller investigation placed a bet that Stone could be arrested as early as Friday.’’
For how CNN connected the dots, read here.
Bringing whine to the Super Bowl party
- The Advocate
This year’s Super Bowl teams headed to Atlanta over the weekend ahead of next Sunday’s game. The New Orleans Saints were not one of those teams and it looks like no one there is over it. The Saints were … well, let’s face it, they wuz robbed. They should be in the Super Bowl, but are instead at home after a penalty that should have been called that wasn’t in the NFC Championship Game. If the officials had done their jobs on that play, there’s like a 99 percent chance the Saints would have won.
And the folks in Louisiana are still bitter about, as you can see in an editorial written by The Advocate in Louisiana. It also came with this teaser telling readers about the upcoming Big Game.
Poynter’s ICYMI headlines:
- The Wall Street Journal: For Bill Simmons’s The Ringer, Podcasting Is the Main Event
- ProPublica: We’re Expanding Our Washington Coverage
- Columbia Journalism Review: Reuters article highlights ethical issues with native advertising
On Poynter.org
- Major layoffs at BuzzFeed end rocky week in journalism. By Tom Jones
- A glitch in Facebook’s fact-checking system isn’t notifying some users who share false posts. By Daniel Funke
Upcoming training:
- A Journalist’s Guide to Covering Jails. Deadline: Feb. 1.
- Covering the 2020 Census. Deadline: Feb. 15.
From PolitiFact.com:
- Fact-checking Michael Bennet’s speech about the government shutdown. By Jon Greenberg, Amy Sherman, Manuela Tobias and Miriam Valverde
- Florida Sen. Rick Scott blames Venezuela’s collapse on socialism, but is that the real culprit? By Amy Sherman
PolitiFact is a property of the Poynter Institute.
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