How we cover crime is an ongoing discussion within MLive, mirroring greater conversations about equity and accountability across America in the wake of the George Floyd killing at the hands of police in May 2020.
I know you notice and care because you tell me. In July 2020 I announced in a column that MLive was curtailing its routine use of police mugshots in crime stories. That column was my most-read ever and provoked an avalanche of reader emails questioning or supporting the decision.
That change was just one facet of evolution of thought and practice within MLive, and journalism as a whole. What crime is covered and how it is presented creates perceptions, can perpetuate stereotypes about marginalized people or communities, and reflects power dynamics involving institutions like police agencies, prosecutors and courts.
“I think it's important for news organizations to have that type of conversation – to not be stagnant in the way we see the world,” said Roberto Acosta, MLive’s news leader for The Flint Journal and the editor who oversees a discussion group of our public safety writers around the state.
“We need to be mindful and sensitive where we can to the community because ultimately, we're serving the community, serving our readers,” he said.
Discussion turned to practice in April, when Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr fatally shot unarmed motorist Patrick Lyoya during a traffic stop.
The incident was amplified by videos from the scene that removed any doubt about what had happened. But that only heightened the need for our journalists to go beyond the obvious and seek context and meaning. To give light, not heat, to an already volatile situation.
Our journalists produced profiles on Lyoya and Schurr; we conducted an interview with and subsequent story about a neighbor who witnessed the shooting; we wrote an important story about Lyoya’s previous run-ins with the law, including an outstanding warrant at the time of his death.
As the community awaited a decision from the county prosecutor on whether to charge Schurr, we reviewed 11 previous cases in which he had made charging decisions. (Schurr has been charged with second-degree murder and his trial is pending.) We also wrote about the police chief saying he would revisit de-escalation training and traffic stop procedures.
At the time of the Lyoya shooting, reporter Marie Weidmayer was an applicant to participate in a professional seminar titled “Transforming Crime Reporting into Public Safety Journalism.” Weidmayer covers the topic for MLive at the Kalamazoo Gazette; the seminar is offered by the Poynter Institute.
Among the objectives for journalists are to add depth and perspective to crime coverage – to go beyond the crime and perpetrator to look at the impact on victims, trends in the community, policing philosophy and practice – and ultimately have that reflected in more meaningful journalism.
“The focus of the training has been looking at what we typically cover for crime and why we do it,” Weidmayer said. “That when we are writing about a shooting in ‘X neighborhood’ that it's also a more overall look – that we're also showing up when they're having large community events or when there's a there's something good happening.
“If we only show up if somebody’s killed, is that a fair representation of those communities?”
Also, Weidmayer and Acosta say, our intent increasingly is to widen the lens of “crime” to include reporting on social conditions; to review law-enforcement funding and policies; to be thoughtful about the effect of reporting on minor crimes in a world where Google never forgets; and to help readers understand a sprawling and complex system of criminal justice.
That’s why “public safety” is a more precise and expansive term than “crime reporting.” Words and definitions matter.
“’Public safety’ provides a more holistic look at the criminal justice system, which goes from when the crime was committed to the police to the prosecutor's office to the judges and all those support systems that exist to help people as they leave prison and reintegrate into society,” Weidmayer said.
It also extends beyond a crime being committed. For example, there’s no denying that Flint has relatively high crime rates. But those occur within a larger context of community problems. When we’re doing our job right as journalists, we give a broader context and also do reporting that points to solutions.
“We're doing a disservice if we just go into a neighborhood when a (crime) situation happens,” Acosta said. “Ultimately, we serve our readers and it's important to cast the light both ways. We don't live in a world that’s hunky dory every day, but we need to show those positive lights as well.”
🎧 On this episode of our Behind the Headlines podcast, John Hiner and Eric Hultgren talk with Roberto Acosta and Marie Weidmayer about how MLive handles reporting around instances and events involving the police. Listen here on Spotify.
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John Hiner is the vice president of content for MLive Media Group. If you have questions you’d like him to answer, or topics to explore, share your thoughts at editor@mlive.com.
