The unprecedented events in Boston – the lockdown of a major U.S. city during a manhunt for a terrorism suspect – demonstrated the amazing power of the media to help and sometimes hinder a criminal investigation. The manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects also demonstrated the way in which the media can contribute to, and heighten the frenzy and sense of, danger in a community.
Coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing once again revealed the great strength and enduring weakness of TV’s news channels. As during past events, from people’s demonstrations to natural disasters, the cameras were there for us, witnessing and recording. We watched, even when irritated by relentless repetition of the same incident, and the images etched themselves into our minds.
The number of reporters covering statehouse news has decreased sharply while the complexity and volume of legislation continues to increase, and news organizations could be missing major stories because of this lower level of staffing. Those were the sentiments of Mike Lawrence and Terry Ganey during a session with journalism students at SIU Carbondale.
If Joseph Pulitzer could return to Missouri’s state capital, he’d probably recognize a recent development that was familiar during his time: politicians publishing newspapers. At the beginning of this legislative session, Rod Jetton, a former House speaker, launched a startup weekly, the Missouri Times. The newspaper and its website promotion promised “a different kind of media outlet” that would become “Missouri’s newspaper of politics and culture.” The journal’s arrival represented a new phase in the evolution of Missouri government coverage.