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egor20 · May 2, 2012, 09:20 PM

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - The following is from a memo sent by Editor Denis Finley to Virginian-Pilot news staff Wednesday regarding the recent alleged attack on Pilot reporters Church Street and Brambleton Avenue.

Staff,

Here is what happened with XXXX and XXXXXX. They were victims of what police described as a simple assault and, initially, they did not want to be named in a story. If these were the circumstances with any other people in the community, we would not have done a story.

The truth is, we have no idea what motivated the attack. Was it a gang or a gathering? Did it just happen or was something planned? Was it racially motivated or random? We just don't know.

The Twitter comment about Trayvon Martin could have come from anywhere from anybody. Right now, it means nothing other than racial animosity continues to exist in our culture.

Many, including news organizations around the country, are assuming and making judgments based on information they do not have. That's a shame, it makes us look bad.

We did not cover up anything. We bend over backwards to treat ourselves the same way we would treat any other member of the community. In fact, we go overboard at times to make sure there is no perception that we have treated ourselves favorably because of our position.

Did we go too far here in holding to this standard? I don't know, I will always ask myself that question. But we made our decision based on the facts we had. That's all we can do. As journalists, we report facts, not assumptions.

We have done our due diligence with the story. We have checked the police report. I have read it. On its face, it would not merit a story. We have checked that neighborhood to see if there is an inordinate amount of crime there. There is not.

We will continue to monitor the investigation, just as we would with any story that has lingering questions. If the crime is reclassified, we will make a decision about further coverage then.

Thanks, Denis

http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_n...dresses-attack

My XXX's not VA pilots.

May 2, 2012, 09:20 PM	#14
egor20 Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 2010 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 1,824	NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - The following is from a memo sent by Editor Denis Finley to Virginian-Pilot news staff Wednesday regarding the recent alleged attack on Pilot reporters Church Street and Brambleton Avenue. Staff, Here is what happened with XXXX and XXXXXX. They were victims of what police described as a simple assault and, initially, they did not want to be named in a story. If these were the circumstances with any other people in the community, we would not have done a story. The truth is, we have no idea what motivated the attack. Was it a gang or a gathering? Did it just happen or was something planned? Was it racially motivated or random? We just don't know. The Twitter comment about Trayvon Martin could have come from anywhere from anybody. Right now, it means nothing other than racial animosity continues to exist in our culture. Many, including news organizations around the country, are assuming and making judgments based on information they do not have. That's a shame, it makes us look bad. We did not cover up anything. We bend over backwards to treat ourselves the same way we would treat any other member of the community. In fact, we go overboard at times to make sure there is no perception that we have treated ourselves favorably because of our position. Did we go too far here in holding to this standard? I don't know, I will always ask myself that question. But we made our decision based on the facts we had. That's all we can do. As journalists, we report facts, not assumptions. We have done our due diligence with the story. We have checked the police report. I have read it. On its face, it would not merit a story. We have checked that neighborhood to see if there is an inordinate amount of crime there. There is not. We will continue to monitor the investigation, just as we would with any story that has lingering questions. If the crime is reclassified, we will make a decision about further coverage then. Thanks, Denis http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_n...dresses-attack My XXX's not VA pilots. __________________ Chief stall mucker and grain chef Country don't mean dumb. Steven King. The Stand Last edited by egor20; May 2, 2012 at 09:31 PM.