Be the Change

lewopschall
Mar 4, 2015
2 min read

Nothing is perfect. So in everything there will be some drawbacks, things you may not agree with, right?

Sunday a snowstorm came through Cincinnati, so in the news business, that always means snow coverage. I was sent north where more of the snow was falling. I was to talk about the conditions, specifically the roads.

Despite the two inches plus of snow that had fallen and continued to, the highway was clear. Crews had done a good job of plowing. However, roads were wet. If you didn’t take some precaution a driver had the potential to wreck on the slushy roads.

About an hour into our morning show, a wreck did in fact happen, right behind me. The car completely flipped. Thankfully everyone was okay. I reported on what I was seeing. After the live hit I was told to increase the coverage on the wreck.

I understand in journalism we want to showcase what is happening. Specifically with my news brand being Fox 19 “Now.” This scenario, with authorities investigating right behind me, is the perfect way to showcase what was happening with the road conditions and seeing the accident live. However, I am weary of sensationalizing news. Drawing major attention to this one accident can make people perceive the conditions to be worse than they are. Overall, there were not a ton of wrecks that morning. I want to display truth. This is what my report looked like.

I have heard stories of many people leaving the news industry because they don’t agree with the values. Heck, we’ve seen some of those people give their resignation live on air. In no way am I saying I disagree with my news organization and it’s values, but to say there aren’t times when people have varying opinions would be false. In every organization there are going to be disagreements.

A friend challenged me once. She told a story about her church. Many of the conservative views the church held deterred many of its young members. Rather than leaving, her sister chose to stay in the church and be the change.

We can’t control the thoughts and actions of others, but we can control our own. I did my best to do what my managers asked of me, while maintaining what I believe to be an accurate interpretation of what was happening on Sunday. Instead of running from disagreement, let’s be at the forefront of the discussion, and…