Over my 14-month career at KXII I interviewed dozens and
dozens of people. I interviewed police
officers, firefighters, politicians, robbery victims, a mom who just had her
kidnapped toddler returned. None stuck
out to me as much as a child at a fundraiser in his own honor.
I was sent to some gymnasium in a small Texoma town. This eight or
nine-year-old boy had been in a car accident and was now paralyzed from the
neck down. His medical bills were mounting,
and the community had a chili cook-off and carnival. This was back before the days of GoFundMe and
crowd sourcing. Folks hit the streets,
pounded the pavement and took personal time.
Definitely more grassroots but also less efficient.
I found out the kid would be available to interview. This was much better than just talking to an
organizer or parent. More touching. Better television. Personal. I was setting up my camera when butterflies
in my stomach began to flutter. What do
I say? Interviewing a little kid was
hard enough for me, but a kid facing a lifetime in a chair? I was never taught how to approach this. I didn’t want to be solemn. In my brief debate in my head I decided to
treat him as I would any other kid. To
ask relevant questions and do not treat him different.
“Hello Jacob. Can I
get you to say and spell your name for me?”
He obliged. “Okay, how old are you?”
He answered. “Are you married,
and do you have any kids?” He didn’t
laugh. He simply said, “No.” Man.
Usually I’d get a giggle or maybe a “NO!!!!!” This kid said it matter of
factly, he was serious. Man. He has grown up so much these past couple of
months. I gave up on the silly shtick
I’d go through with a “normal” kid. And
I just treated him as an adult.
“Are you surprised with the amount of community support you
have gotten?” And a couple of other questions like that. I just wanted to get out of there. It was so uncomfortable for me. This kid was forced to confront his mortality
at the age of nine. It was a sudden
event with no warning. He would no
longer be a kid. He handled his
situation with grit, with sobriety. He
was doing what he had to do. And me,
with whatever advantages I had going for me, with a bright tomorrow collapsed
in the face of another’s impromptu dignity.
Yeah, I was humbled.
That summer I was sent to a small plane crash in a small
rural neighborhood. A single engine
plane went down in somebody’s back yard in Northeast Texas. I got permission from the homeowner and shot
the scene as close as the Texas State Troopers would allow. I had never been to a plane crash. I had been to a scene where a truck hauling
horses crashed on a bridge. It was an
equine stampede on a Texas highway. One
person and a handful of horses were dead.
This was quite different though.
A father and his son returning from a trip fell from the sky and
perished in some field in the middle of nowhere. The NTSB were on the way.
A spokeswoman (Public Information Officer) for the Troopers
was ready for an interview. She stood in a driveway. There were me, Noelle , and a person from the Sherman newspaper there. I set my camera up and pulled out a stick mic
from my run bag. As I looked down I
heard a “Whoa!!!” One of the troopers
caught my camera as it fell lens first toward the concrete. Apparently one of the legs of my tripod was a
little janky. The driveway was an
incline so that added even more weight to my loose leg. “Thank you so much! You saved me!” I told the Trooper. At least that was saved from crashing into the ground. As I readjusted my tripod, Noelle proceeded
with questions knowing I wasn’t ready to roll.
I quickly recovered, and we asked about the identities of
the victims. The Spokesman said there
was an embargo on the information until the next of kin was notified. She confirmed it was a father and son. Their last name was Noelle. Noelle the reporter kind of giggled and said,
“Hey! That’s my name!” Are you kidding
me? Nobody cares! That’s a “happy coincidence” you should keep
to yourself. I told some co-workers
about that and they were like, “Yeah, I could see that.”
A couple years later I moved on to the Tulsa market and
Noelle moved up there a little later too.
Still at competing stations.
There would be a job opening at my station as well and I’d put in a good
word for a guy name Sam who I worked with at KXII. He was hired, and all went well, for a
while. One day though I heard people
complaining about him. He was at a scene
of a murder-suicide standoff and could be seen grinning and fist pumping. Excited about the “awesome” video he was
getting. Yes, it’s thrilling to get
great stuff money shots. But try and show
a little decorum. My gosh. I was embarrassed he was out there
representing my station.
And speaking of behavior at crime scenes, I can’t tell how
many times I have heard about a cop or his supervisor being upset because video aired showing him
smiling or laughing at a crime scene.
Yes, I will try to cut around it, but if every single shot shows
somebody cutting it up, guess what?
That’s what’s going to air. It
isn’t the media out to get them. It’s a
fair and accurate depiction of what the crime scene looked like.
Bottom line is try to show
empathy to others. If whatever situation
you are in is routine to you, chances are to an outsider that’s a brand-new
experience. I always preach about perspective. Yes, in your narrow world something may be funny or sweet, but is it in the bigger picture? Allow yourself to be humbled
and let the situation adjust your behavior.
Be aware of what protocol is and always look for the human
element. Other folks are real
people. Act like it.
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