Spot news pages from 39 1 f05 cjet

Photo by Jonathan Dwyer, Los Angeles-based free-lance photographer California Highway Patrol officers investigate a weather-related 18-wheeler crash that caused CHP to shut down four lanes of the highway for more than six hours.

After the accident, which occurred on the 210 Freeway near Pasadena, Calif., shortly after 3 a.m. Jan. 8, the driver was transported to a local hospital and listed in serious condition.

COMMENT: I was coming back from a double fatality accident when I hear the call on scanner that the 210 freeway was closed due to a big rig hitting the sound

36 • Communication: Journalism Education Today

wall and crashing into many pieces. I was heading eastbound on the 210 freeway and had to pass the incident and come back under the bridge and then head westbound. After I pulled up to the scene, the CHP officer told me to go around it, so I parked behind the incident. As I was walking up to the incident, the CHP officers were walking away from me. I knew then there was the picture. I had a strong backlight coming from the traffic, but I also wanted to show the officers so I put my strobe on my camera and strobed it to hold just enough detail.

Fall 2005

Photo by Mike Shepherd

Photo by Matt Stamey

Photo by Kelly Glasscock/Jackson Hole News & Guide

Shooting Pictures of SPOT news Most journalism associations have done away with spot news as a category because students so rarely get to shoot spot news. That’s a deficit because covering spot news, and particularly establishing a positive working relationship with police, fire and EMS workers, is something photographers should learn at an early age. The public has a need to know about spot news whether the event be a single house fire or a mass casualty incident.

Fall 2005

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Photos © Chris Weddle/Ball STate University TOP: Fountain City firefighters attack flames at the front of the former Alpha Water company BOTTOM RIGHT: Firefighters and EMS personnel clean up as the driver of a wrecked SUV building. Firefighters from six departments fought the blaze that destroyed the 80-year old is flown away by CareFlight on Interstate 70 in Richmond, Ind. The driver suffered critical building. injuries after crossing the median and rolling the vehicle, while a toddler was treated and BOTTOM LEFT: Three unidentified men walk toward a burning barn to give assistance to released from the hospital. firemen on Palmer Road in Webster Township.

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n schools, journalists are often asleep. They see stories as annual social events and traditional sports rivalries. More alert journalists also look at what methods teachers are using in classrooms and how administrators and school board members are making financial decisions for the school district. But there is more that journalists should notice if they are awake to stories they unknowingly encounter daily.

Advisers can do wonders to help students learn to use every moment and every hallway as reporting moments. What do students see? What do they hear? What do they still need to discover? The tools are easy, sometimes something as simple as noticing paint colors or taking temperatures in different sections of the building.

Or comparing notes with students in other classrooms or in other hallways.

Advisers should also emphasize that the way to learn about reporting spot news is to pay attention to professionals who focus on that responsibility daily. The professionals’ words echo helpful tips for the present and for the future.

Based on comments from these photographers, it is easy to learn that digital cameras are tools that should go everywhere with student journalists: in classrooms, in hallways, at athletic events, at social and academic activities as well as in the community — to places where teenagers live, work, gather, celebrate, discover.

To places where news happens and emotions emerge.

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Watch your back I’m a television photographer, but the same rules, or lack thereof, apply.

My best advice, and this can apply to every story, is to always watch your back. There is a lot of action in front of you that is tempting to shoot, but sometimes the best part of the story is sitting on a curb behind your camera.

Glance over your shoulder every few moments, but also listen, listen, listen. Always keep your ears wide open to the events unfolding in front of you as well as behind you. Remember, the grieving family and the talkative witnesses won’t always be in plain view.

Mike D’Angelo WGN-TV (Chicago, Ill.) Remember the victims I’ve covered spot news for the Forsyth Herald as a photographer and reporter for years. Here are a few of the things I’ve come up with.

1. I keep up with breaking events by using both a scanFall 2005

Photos © Matt Stamey/Houma Courier TOP: Two Bayou Cane firefighters talk on the front lawn of an Estate Drive home early March BOTTOM RIGHT: A Terrebonne Parish sheriff officer holds a Polaroid photo of a murder 12 in Houma, La. A fire broke out in a shed in the backyard. victim behind his back outside the house where a jealous ex-husband killed his ex-wife’s COMMENTS: This was one of those “get woken up by a phone call from your editor early boyfriend and then himself. in the morning” fires. I could see the smoke from about a mile away as I was driving to the COMMENTS: This was the third murder/suicide in as many weeks in Houma. The reporter and I were standing outside the yellow tape trying to gather as much information about the scene. I parked about a block away so I fire trucks couldn’t block me in. We have a good relationship with the Bayou Cane Fire Department so I was able to pretty much go wherever situation as we could. I saw that a few of the sheriff officers had gathered together to look at something. I watched and saw one of the officers put his hand behind his back while holding I wanted to make a picture. I knew I wanted to take advantage of the morning light so I looked pictures of one of the dead bodies. I had my 17-35mm lens on my camera and quietly walked for ways to use it. This was one of the first frames I took after arriving at the scene. I bracketed like crazy to make sure I got the exposure the way I wanted it. I was lucky enough to have the up behind the officer, leaned in close and took a few frames before he moved his hand. I knew we weren’t allowed to see the photos, but he and I were both on a public street so I figured it two firemen stand in the front lawn under all the smoke.

BOTTOM LEFT: Martin Morgan checks the piece of tape that has fingerprints on it while the was fair game. My editor looked at the picture and quickly said, “We’d never run that in the paper, but nice picture though.” residence of the house stands outside waiting.

ner and a decent network of friends with cell phones. They all know that they should call Jim if they see a lot of police cars around a house. I live with my scanner — my wife now can’t go to sleep unless it’s on. At night, when it’s time to sleep, I lock it on the fire dispatch channel at a medium low volume. One or two tones (person down) won’t wake me, but three or more tones (structure fire, wreck or other significant event) will wake me enough to listen and to judge whether I need to be there.

Also, be alert. If you see several police cars, especially supervisors/command cars, heading the same way, you need to find out where they’re going.

2. Get to a scene safely, but quickly. No running red lights, no passing, unless it’s in an appropriate area, no driving faster than you normally would. Keep your head on straight, and remember cop rule No. 1: It’s better to get to a scene three minutes later than not at all. Use the pauses at red lights to your advantage. Is your camera out? Powered up? Card/film loaded? Lens clean? Long and short lenses both ready? Press ID out/ready?

3. Know the roads. I never approach a scene from the most likely Fall 2005

direction because it’s usually the busiest. Instead, try to thread your way in through side streets. They may still be blocked, but the deputy there will likely have more time to stop and let you explain why you need to be there. If you end up driving directly to the scene, you’ll find that less traffic on side roads means you can get closer before you have to park and hike.

4. Establish a rapport with the police. Ninety-nine percent of the deputies here know me, and I can usually get through most roadblocks with only an explanation. I do have a press ID, but I rarely use it. Once on a scene, behave appropriately. This means you should always avoid dressing like a slob because you can’t schedule spot news. Don’t get in victims’ faces. Don’t antagonize police, and never cross the yellow tape unless you’re invited to. That said, remember, you’re there to do a job. If you see police or fire conduct that’s particularly egregious, you have to photograph/report it. I have, and they got over it.

5. Have your gear with you. A camera at home on a shelf does no good.

6. Carry a couple of small trash bags with you whenever you go Communication: Journalism Education Today • 39

Photo © Matthew Berry/Daily Clarion Fort Branch/Union Township fire fighters and Gibson County Ambulance Service personnel ditch and fell onto the road. I jammed my left wrist, scraped my right elbow and jammed my work to free Nikki Elpers from the car. Elpers, an Owensville teen, was flown by medical heliright shoulder. I also ended up with massive bruises on both my knees. As I dusted myself copter to Deaconess Hospital from the scene of this crash on County Road 500 West, said off, I could still hear Nikki screaming in pain even as the helicopter neared the site to land in Gibson County Sheriff Deputy Jeff Hill. According to a preliminary report from the Gibson the field I had been standing in.

So what did I learn from this? First, make sure your gear is insured. I was lucky. None of County Sheriff’s Department, 16-year-old Elpers lost control of this 1996 Ford while she was northbound on the county road, topping a hill. The car veered to the right, vaulted off a small my gear was damaged, and I went to my insurance agent the next day. Second, carry extra clothes and a first aid kit in your vehicle. You never know when you’ll need it. There have been rise along a ditch and struck a concrete retaining wall on the north side of the ditch head-on days that I’ve changed shoes, socks and pants three times in one shift. Third, always get your before landing upright.

COMMENTS: This was the first bad wreck that I went to. The fire district that it was in has shot. At this scene I had a fire chief and a sheriff (not a sheriff’s deputy but the actual sheriff) yelling at me, but I didn’t give up until I got my shot. Finally, the time to worry about yourself one of the slowest response times in the county. As a result, the fire trucks passed me on my way to the wreck. When I got to the scene, I parked about a quarter-mile away. When I is when you stop caring. I could hear this girl’s screams in my head for the rest of the day. I still hear her when I see this picture, and I think that’s a good thing. The day I become so jaded walked up to the scene, I could hear the girl trapped in the car screaming. I shot this picture from a field beside the ditch while I held the camera over my head so I could shoot over the that I no longer care about the people in the spot news shots that I take will be a dark day. grass. When I came out of the field onto the road, I tripped at the bottom of the massive

to a scene. If you don’t have proper rain gear with you, they come in handy. If need be, you can quickly get your camera covered.

7. Remember the victims. No joking around within sight or sound of any victims — for sure, no antagonizing them. Also remember that this is probably the most traumatic thing they’ve ever experienced so behave accordingly.

Jim Dean Forsyth Herald (Cumming, Ga.)

Establish a relationship I’ve seen the gamut of police/fire reaction to press in my time.

The best thing you can possibly have these days is to have an established relationship with those organizations. It’s easier for those working for publications, TV stations and the like because their executive editors, managing editors, photos editors and police reporters can work with fire and with police chiefs to make sure journalists are given access.

Even that doesn’t guarantee access when you deal with a rookie cop who doesn’t know or care about established procedures. Of course, it can also be a problem when you have to deal with a number of different jurisdictions.

Once on the scene don’t do anything stupid. Don’t do anything to make the police or firemen/women tell you to leave. Don’t get yourself arrested. Try to work within the confines they’ve set for coverage before looking for the official in charge to complain.

But if you can’t do anything, go to the sergeant and ask, politely, 40 • Communication: Journalism Education Today

about getting better access. Have the phone numbers for the police and fire department public information officers on your cell phone. Blend in with the crowd.

I’ve often seen Joe Gawker get a much better view of spot news events than the press. This shouldn’t be, but it happens.

Some would disagree with my suggestion, but we used to be pretty free to give firefighters and police free prints of photographs. Now I’ve heard that newspapers shouldn’t give anything away because it harms credibility when it comes to shield laws. Of course, you’ve got to have some long glass.

Nick Lundskow The Capital (Annapolis, Md.)

Heed the aftermath Spot news is rarely actual spot news. It is usually aftermath and not worth covering. Often by the time you get to an event 20 or 30 minutes away, everything is over. It becomes general news at this point so keep that in mind when fighting for access to a scene. If it is an hour or so after the event, it is not worth arguing for access.

Instead, be patient. When it is all over, those who wait may have an opportunity to photograph something that is not that great, such as a burnt house or wreckage.

Because spot news is often aftermath, photographers need to look for reactions and to be cognizant of the people affected by the events. Too often photos show wreckage or flames with little or no context. Like all news, spot news must be humanized. The best way is to look for emotions in people — an effort that requires Fall 2005

Photos © Chad Pilster/Daytona News-Journal TOP: An emergency worker picks up personal items June 29 after a motor vehicle accident involving a bus in Lake County near Astor Park. The bus was headed away from Alexander Springs.

MIDDLE LEFT: Emergency personnel work on helping a child June 29 after a motor vehicle accident involving a bus in Lake County near Astor Park. The bus carried 11 children and one driver along 445.

MIDDLE RIGHT: A little girl struggles as emergency workers try to get her on a stretcher.

BOTTOM: Emergency personnel work on helping children.

COMMENTS: The best way to gain the people’s trust is to talk to them and to show them you

respect them and that you are human too. This won’t always work, but if you have the time to do this, it will be valuable to you in the future. I was photographing the murder scene of the six people and a dog murdered in Deltona over an Xbox. The friends and families who came to mourn their loved ones would not give us their names and didn’t even want to talk to us.

People didn’t want their photos taken. Unfortunately the story is bigger than the individuals.

When six people are murdered, the criminal deed affects a whole community. The pictures of the people grieving show that there are people who care for the people murdered. The story will inform others who were related and give them the opportunity to grieve also.

subtle attention to fleeting opportunities.

Some photographers are so busy shooting flames and smoke that they forget to turn around and see the family that is watching their house and memories burn down. That slant puts a human face on an event. A flame shot is just that. The flames are alarming and sensational, but they don’t make people feel anything unless there is a human element to the story.

However, having a chance to tell a story reflecting spot news is rare. Some photographers work their whole careers without shooting any good spot news clips. Careers are not jump started by great spot news clips either unless you win the Pulitzer for Breaking News. The odds of that are like waiting for lightning to strike. In small towns, the chance to shoot spot news is again rare.

Also, a lot of fires and accidents happen when we are sleeping.

Make sure students learn how to humanize all sorts of photographs and stories. Above all, make sure they are good storytellers.

Then they will be ready to go into action during the rare instance when they encounter real spot news,

Fall 2005

Matt Hinton free-lance (Ithaca, N.Y.)

Stalk the safety When covering a fire, check for electrical lines. You don’t want to stand under them, and you don’t want to step on them in the dark.

At fires, stay away from open windows or doors. Stand to one Communication: Journalism Education Today • 41

Photos © Mike Harmon/Norman Transcript/SIPA TOP: Although damaged by the F4 tornado that destroyed a section of the town of Moore, Okla., this church was still able to open its doors.

BOTTOM LEFT: Residents of the tornado-damaged area move a victim to safety. Moore, Okla., May 3, 1999.

BOTTOM RIGHT: An Oklahoma City police officer watches an EMT work on a lady with a broken leg in the Greenbiar housing addition in south Oklahoma City after an F5 tornado ripped though the city.

COMMENTS: For me, covering spot news has not been a real issue. I just went and shot what I saw. However, knowing the local police and firemen has helped more than anything else as

far as gaining access. Before, I used to stay back behind the police lines and covered what I could get from there. After getting to know those in charge, it became easier to cover the scenes. One of the ways I found out about the spot news is from my police scanner. I prepare by always keeping my gear ready to go, a habit I got into many years ago when I first got started shooting news images while still in the U.S. Navy. I try to look for things at the scenes that others are not seeing and to capture that as well as what is the main important issue at the scene. I take a step back and look over the scenes after I make my first few images after getting there to look over the whole scene.

side as blow-by is a powerful force. Also, spray from inside can get you and your cameras. (I was hit looking in a window at 20 below zero. The water froze almost instantly on me and on my camera. Not good.)

At fires, park beyond the line where you think they will be putting in fire hoses from hydrants. It’s illegal to drive over hoses, and you will want to leave to post your photos and story before the fire is completely out.

At a vehicle accident, park on the same side of the road as police and emergency vehicles. Again, park far enough back to allow all emergency crews access and to give yourself a chance to get out of the area when done. There are laws about how close you can park to emergency crews. (I tend to park closer than that, but I still give a lot of room. I don’t have access problems for the most part because I live in a rural area. Also, almost everyone here knows who I am. My biggest problem involves fatalities and assignments that take me to the Indian reservation.

At armed standoffs, find a good place to hide, bring a long lens and be patient.

As for access, I have scanners all over my house and in both of my cars. These are simple scanners, Bearcats, that you can buy at discount stores. A local Radio Shack had a listing of frequencies they gave out with scanners they sold. That sheet floats around the area a lot.

Remind the brain Listen to the scanner.

Have film or disks in the camera.

Have a media placard in the car.

Wear photo identification.

Bring appropriate clothing for fires — no sandals (that’s tacky).

Be safe.

But get the shot.

William Wilson Lewis, III The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.)

Al Camp Omak Chronicle (Okanogan, Wash.)

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Find the unnoticed Covering spot news has not been a complicated issue. I simply went and shot what I saw. However, knowing the local police and firefighters has helped more than anything else to gain access.

Before I used to stay back behind the police lines and covered what I could get from there. After getting to know those in charge, it became easier to cover the scenes.

I prepare by always keeping my gear ready to go, a habit I got into when I first got started shooting while still in the U.S. Navy.

I try to look for things at the scenes that others are not seeing and to capture that as well as what is the main important issue at the scene. I take a step back and look over the scene after I make my first few images to help me provide complete coverage.

Mike Harmon free-lance (Oklahoma City) Fall 2005

Photo © Al Camp/Omak Chronicle Troopers and other emergency workers discuss the scene of an accident involving a fatality.

It turned out the woman worked the last few days for him doing a search. After we talked, The person killed was northbound when a southbound vehicle turned right off the highway. A he approached the troopers. vehicle behind the southbound lane swung over the centerline to pass. The move caused the As I talked to the coroner, I held my point-and-shoot camera down in front of me and northbound woman to swerve and avoid a head-on collision. The northbound vehicle rolled, silently fired off two frames. This, after using the zoom a bit, was the second one. As it crushing the top of the vehicle. The southbound vehicle that swung over the centerline kept turns out, the first three pictures had a bump where the woman’s head was. It might have going, and the driver has yet to be caught. been the steering wheel. It might have been her head. I am glad I had this as a backup. This COMMENTS: I arrived at the accident well over an hour after it occurred (I was in another picture caused a stir with family members who did not like us showing the yellow tarp. They part of the county when the accident occurred. Hey, it was my day off.), but the victim was said the children will see that photo and know their mom was behind it. They felt we should have waited until after her body was removed, about 3.5 hours after the accident, and then still in the vehicle. The coroner had just finished as I arrived. The troopers were on me fast and warned me about taking pictures that showed the victim. I assured them that our paper taken a picture of the vehicle. The first try sneaking the photo went to a television station that requested one. I have some rules when taking accident or crime scenes. I take an overall would not publish such photographs. There’s an unwritten policy not to show a victim’s face to avoid putting the family through the anguish a second time. As I started to leave, I talked photo as I get out of my car. As I approach, I take a few more. Then I work on medium shots that can sum up the situation. Finally, I try for close ups, which often are the most powerful to the coroner and to the sheriff, who had just arrived. The sheriff, who lives a couple doors over and I’ve known since he was a beat cop in another town, said he was on the scene first. images. This approach comes from my cinematography degree.

Stay tuned for the unexpected A few things from my 15 years of experience with spot news: 1. Get a scanner (police, not flatbed), and learn how to use it, including mastering the appropriate frequencies and codes.

Many journalists think of scanners as static generators and ignore them. Others listen but wouldn’t know the difference between a barking dog call and a double homicide.

2. Try to keep what you need in your car all the time. Not highpriced gear, but little things such as batteries/DC inverter for charging cell phones/computers/cameras, etc. Extra shoes/coat/ shirt/etc. Hot/cold weather gear. Prepaid phone card/gasoline card.

3. When you hear something break, get there fast. Every news event has a lifespan, and the clock starts ticking as soon as the first call goes out. The difference between a Pulitzer and a nothing shot buried inside is often a matter of moments. Also, at major events I’ve covered, particularly ones involving multiple agencies, the longer the event goes on, the more anal the authorities get. This can be especially true at scenes that take days to resolve/clear. Another thing: Sometimes the presence of a lot of media can make police tighten up on access. You’d think the reverse would be true, but sometimes it is not.

4. Buy the best map you can find, and learn it inside out. Know how to get to places two or three different ways. This is extremely important when you’re responding to a call and traffic is jammed on the main route. Also, it will help you know when and where a police pursuit is and if it’s coming your way.

5. Always display your credentials. This will help separate you from the “rubberneckers.”

Fall 2005

6. Be persistent. If the same authorities see you show up time after time, in the heat/cold/wet/dry/midnight/noon/etc., they will start to recognize you — and “familiarity breeds contentment.” Also, cover the minor events too, even if you know they are minor. You might not get a usable shot, but the officials will soon realize that you’re not a “glory hound” who gets the fingernails dirty only when a disaster happens.

7. Don’t assume that just because an event will be minor simply because it sounds minor on the scanner. Sometimes calls sound like the end-of-the-world, only to be minor. Sometimes the exact opposite is true.

8. Last, don’t get discouraged if you don’t produce major art every time you chase. I’ve been chasing scanners for nearly 20 years, and sometimes I only get one keeper for every 10 calls. A little rhyme here: If you don’t go, you’ll never know.

I can’t promise those who read this a Pulitzer, but I’ll tell you this much. Some of my co-workers didn’t think much of police scanners when I started at my current paper in 1999. In 2001, I was named Photographer of the Year by the Georgia Press Association. Although there were many things that helped me win, it would not have been possible without my three trusty scanners. Now some of those doubters pay closer attention to the “static.”

William T. Martin Rome News-Tribune (Ga.)

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