response to article

Police beats and serious crime reports are not only hard to write, but they are also extremely hard to report because of the graphic images associated with them. But, it is indeed a job at the end of the day that needs to be covered, and that adrenaline and horror experienced by the reporter only adds to the story. Indeed, it will take a toll on the reporter's emotions and they may pick up habits such as smoking, but it will take a hard-skinned individual to see it to the end.

Police Beat Response

When a story that contains horrific details or disturbing images, many of us forget that the only reason we are receiving the story is because someone reported on it. Yes, someone has to do it, but I think that we should all have a newfound respect for those who willingly cover the "police beat". Like the article says horror and tragedy often visit reporters on the police beat, and on top of that, many times reporters attempting to get a story are put in danger.

I believe many people take the news for granted when an extreme case is presented. I definitely have grown more aware that there is a person behind that story who could have put themselves at risk just so I could know what is going on.

Response to The High-Stress Police Beat

I found this article extremely interesting. Partially because the police beat was one reason I became a journalism major in the first place. I personally hope to never have to cover the beat, because I want to be on the other side. I want readers to know there is a good side of the news too. After all it is no secret that crime reporting and tragedy in general command the attention of the journalism world.

I do think that we all forget or do not realize the ramifications of being a crime reporter. Mentally no one really can take their mind away from anything seen at a crime scene. I really think this article really did a great job of reminding readers of this. It also pointed out that crime reporters deserve way more credit than they deserve. It really is more of a lifestyle for them since they really work nonstop on this beat. The crime beat is draining emotionally, physically, and mentally. Those who report for the crime beat really do need help dealing with all that they come across on a daily basis.

Police Response

This story really opened my eyes to a crime reporter's life. I guess when I watch the news about a serious crime, I've always just focused on the story itself. This article made me see it through the eyes of the reporter covering that serious crime. It is one thing to read about or watch about murders and rapes, but to actually be there with the victims and criminals is in a totally different league. I cant imagine the stress and emotions that would go through someone who had to see and deal with that every single day, and then be expected to clock out and go home to live a normal life, while knowing the whole time what the world is really like out there. This article made me understand and have respect for the life of a crime reporter.

Response to Crime Beat

Although I've never considered being a crime reporter, I have thought about the possibilities of having to cover a crime. After reading this, I definitely hope I will be able to avoid drastic crime scenes. You can take your body away from the crime scene, but you can't take the crime scene out of your mind. When you leave the crime scene, you go home to your families. The way you usually act could change, and that could cause family problems. I agree that counseling should be mandantory. Many people think their personal ways to cope will work, but when it's over, they won't have the same mind frame. There are many dangers associated with crime reporting too, as mentioned. Having to gather courage to walk to someone's door could take days. However, as a crime reporter it has to be done eventually. I believe the hardest thing would be speaking with families who have lost children and teenagers. A life so young gone from the world. Reading the article, it was mentioned that one of the most difficult times was seeing two sisters killed in a wreck on the way to college. Not just one, but two deaths in one family having to be dealt with in one day. Crime reporting will not be for me.

Response To Police Beat

I agree with this article in that when reading stories about crime and tragedies we don't think enough about the people that it is dealing with and the reporters and police that have to deal with it. It's easy for us to just read a story and not think much more about it. I do agree with what the article was saying about how people dealing with these tragedies need to go see a therapist or counseling sessions . One should not have to deal with seeing awful things on a daily basis. Having different emotions about what they see at work is normal. I personally don't think I could handle a job like this. I have so much respect for the people who have these jobs. I would be able to console a family after a hard time but I could only do so much and then I would break down, feel bad for the families, and not know what to do. I do agree and think reporters should be offered counseling sessions. It is hard to sit there and witness people going through such hard times and it's hard for it not to take a toll on ones self. By reading this I have so much more respect for reporters because I'm more aware of what they have to deal with and what goes on behind the scenes of reporting.

Response to Police Beat

When reading the news or watching it on TV, it is easy to look at tragedies as things that are not real, just a fictional story like a movie. What I often forget, it that this is not Disney’s version of a tragedy, but people’s real lives, hurts, and troubles. I am guilty of not looking into a story seriously if I am not connected. However, as a crime news reporter, you have no choice but to put yourself into the situation. Being on the crime scene and witnessing the events first hand is something I do not feel I would be able to do. I know I would not be able to keep my cool when it came time to talk to grieving wives, husbands, children, or any significant other. I feel it would want to hung them and console them, instead of asking them how they were feeling. I know this is a job that must be done, in order to inform the public of events, so realizing just how much trouble witnessing these events causes a reporter, makes me gain a whole new respect for what they do. It takes a strong person to be able to put there self in that situation, and still remain human at the same time.