In June 2021, the Los Angeles Police received a tip about a man selling illegal fireworks out of an alley in South Los Angeles. When police arrived, they found dozens upon dozens of boxes of fireworks and explosives, including some that appeared homemade. The police worried the explosives were too dangerous to haul away so they decided to detonate them in what they called a “total containment vessel.”
What happened next? An explosion that damaged 35 properties and injured 17 people. Dozens reportedly were displaced from their homes and still haven’t moved back. It will end up costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
More than two years later, tensions remained high because of a lack of transparency — none of the responsible officers had been publicly named and whatever punishment they did (or did not) receive was also unknown.
But the Los Angeles Times and reporters Brittny Mejia, Libor Jany and Richard Winton were able to figure out which officers were involved. They wrote, “… through investigative records, court documents and interviews, the Times was able to determine their names and how the LAPD dealt with some of the officers involved. The Times corroborated the identity of each bomb tech with at least two sources close to the department.”
However, before the story was published, the reporters did what any responsible journalist would do: They sought comment. Two of the reporters — Jany and Mejia — went to the home of one of the officers to seek comment for the article that would, for the first time, publicly name her as one of the LAPD bomb squad technicians on site that day.
That officer, Sgt. Stefanie Alcocer, asked the reporters to leave her property and, according to the reporters, they did.
But now, the LAPD and police Chief Michel Moore are accusing the Times of crossing an ethical line. They have even complained to Times executive editor Kevin Merida. They sent an email to the Times saying, “Random people knocking on our doors, following us, or stalking us until we get home is wrong.”
The Times’ Kevin Rector wrote, “The reporters were also accused of ‘stalking’ officers by the city’s police union, which sent an inaccurate account of (the) interaction to its entire membership (last week.).”
The LAPD has often had run-ins with the media and has a tense relationship with local journalists. But complaining about reporters doing their job when they were seeking fairness in their stories is a new low for the LAPD. In addition, the Times is doing what it is supposed to do: hold elected and local officials accountable.
Rector wrote, “According to 1st Amendment scholars and media experts, the outrage over Jany and Mejia’s reporting also shows an alarming misunderstanding of the rights and responsibilities of journalists among top police officials and union bosses in one of the nation’s largest cities.”
Joe Saltzman, a USC journalism professor, told the Times that the police’s objections were “ludicrous,” adding, “Getting all sides of the story is what journalists do, and anyone who tries to stop that is a knowing or unknowing threat to the freedom of information and the public’s right to know.”
When unable to otherwise get a comment, knocking on doors is a staple of good journalism and, actually, can benefit the person behind that door.
As Rector noted, “To ensure fairness and accuracy, reporters are trained to seek out comment from those they are writing about, particularly if they are reporting alleged misconduct. Sometimes the subjects of stories provide additional information that clears up discrepancies or undermines the claims of others. Sometimes those accused of wrongdoing want to express personal remorse, regret or compassion, or reveal things that a police or union spokesperson would prevent them from sharing.”
Rector’s story goes into great detail about the exchange between the reporters and the officer, as well as more explanation about how journalists do their job.
That job is to report to the public what is going on in their communities and allow those accused of wrongdoing a chance to respond.
For the record, the LAPD put out a statement over the weekend, saying it was not permitted, by law, to release information about who was involved in the explosion and their punishment. However, the Times has reported there is an exception to this when there are injuries involved.
“This group brings out the worst in people”
MSNBC’s Jen Psaki didn’t hold back on her show Sunday when she blasted the extremist group Moms for Liberty.
Psaki said, “You may not know that Moms for Liberty has been helping to lead the movement in pulling books from the library shelves, including classics like ‘The Bluest Eye,’ great book, ‘The Kite Runner,’ amazing book, and ‘Maus’ — as well as other books that deal with the race, diversity, and sexuality. The group has turned school board meetings into unruly shouting matches. As an attendee at one Florida meeting described, quote, ‘They turn around and scream at me that I am a commie and teachers want to see all kids fail.’ This group brings out the worst in people.”
Psaki noted that the Indiana chapter of the group actually quoted Hitler in a recent newsletter.
Psaki said, “So, below the surface of their friendly-sounding name and politically vague taglines, they are an unapologetically extreme organization that has built a long record of harassment, and controversy, in a pretty short period of time. Some free advice out there for people who are not sure what their organization is about, whether it’s called Moms for Liberty, or Puppies for Ice Cream. It’s worth looking into the agenda of an organization before joining it. Sometimes, it may not be what you think.”
Horrific news
Another journalist has been murdered in Mexico. Nelson Matus was killed Saturday in Acapulco. The Mexican newspaper El Universal reported Matus was shot while sitting in his car in the parking lot of a store. This was the third assassination attempt on Matus. The previous attempts were in 2017 and 2019.
Matus was the director of the online news site Lo Real de Guerrero.
It has become all too common for journalists in Mexico to be murdered for their work covering corruption and crime, particularly when it involves the drug cartels. Just last week, the body of Luis Martín Sánchez Iñiguez, a journalist for Mexican newspaper La Jornada, was found.
Jan-Albert Hootsen, the Mexico representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement, “The shocking killing of Luis Martín Sánchez Iñíguez underscores the crisis of deadly violence and impunity that continues to plague the Mexican press. Mexican authorities must immediately do everything in their power to bring Sánchez’s killers to justice, lest they once again send the message that press killings can be carried out with impunity.”
Five journalists have been murdered in Mexico this year, and at least 52 journalists have been murdered in Mexico over the past five years, according to the CPJ.
What’s your opinion?
I wrote last week that three Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonists were laid off last week by McClatchy. Associated Press media writer David Bauder looked at the broader picture with, “Editorial cartoonists’ firings point to steady decline of opinion pages in newspapers.”
Bauder reports that there were about 2,000 editorial cartoonists at the start of the 20th century. Now, Jack Ohman, one of the cartoonists let go last week, told Bauder he estimates there are fewer than 20.
Bauder writes, “While economics is clearly a factor in an industry that has lost jobs so dramatically that many newspapers are mere ghosts of themselves, experts say timidity also explains the dwindling number of cartoonists. Readers are already disappearing, why give them a reason to be angry?”
Tim Nickens, the retired editorial page editor for the Tampa Bay Times, told Bauder, “There’s a broader reluctance in this political environment to make people mad. By definition, a provocative editorial cartoonist is going to make somebody mad every day.”
Media tidbits
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, is shown here in May. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
- There are plenty of stories lately about how the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is floundering. In a sign that might be true, DeSantis has agreed to be interviewed by CNN. Jake Tapper will interview DeSantis on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
- The first Republican presidential debate is next month, but don’t be surprised if Donald Trump doesn’t participate. On Sunday, he told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures,” “Ronald Reagan didn’t do it and a lot of other people didn’t do it. When you have a big lead, you don’t do it. We have a lead of 50 and 60 points in some cases. … You’re leading people by 50 and 60 points, you say why would you be doing a debate? It’s actually not fair. Why would you let somebody that’s at zero or one or two or three be popping you with questions?” However, Trump did add, “I haven’t really made up my mind.”
- The Daily Beast’s Erik Uebelacker with “Seattle Times Columnist Fired After Bizarre Hitler Tweet.”
Hot type
The Washington Post’s Tim Carman with “A gay couple ran a rural restaurant in peace. Then new neighbors arrived.”
Washington Post sports columnist Candace Buckner blasts the Alabama senator in “Tommy Tuberville couldn’t be racist. He coached football.”
More resources for journalists
- Covering Climate Change Science and Policy in a Polarized World (Seminar, Washington D.C.) — Apply Aug. 14.
- Executive Leadership Summit (Oct.) (Seminar) — Apply by Aug. 14.
- Power of Diverse Voices: Writing Workshop for Journalists of Color (Nov. 15-18) (Seminar) — Apply by Sept. 15.
- Will Work for Impact: Fundamentals of Investigative Journalism (Oct. 2-30) (Online) — Enroll now.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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