The One-Minute Meeting
I am focusing today’s Morning Meeting on one issue: the shooting of two journalists in Orlando and the predictable public response and media coverage that follows such events. I will suggest specific ways that the coverage of Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons’ death could be different than the typical pattern that journalists follow when covering mass shootings.
On Thursday, a prosecutor tried to explain why and how a 19-year-old who had a dozen prior run-ins with the law and a long history of juvenile crimes could be armed and free. The prosecutors say this case is a prime example of how juvenile criminal laws desperately need reform. She said she could not even talk about the alleged shooter’s criminal past or even confirm that he had spent years in the juvenile justice system. That’s because, she said, when you are a juvenile who is “convicted” of a crime in Florida courts, even a serious crime, it does not get recorded as a “conviction.”
A county mayor told reporters that a few years ago, a special citizen’s panel spent months coming up with more than 60 pages of recommendations on what to do about violent crime in the community. This case, he said, should reopen those files. It is a reminder that many, perhaps even most communities have used citizen panels to recommend reforms. Maybe journalists can dust off those reports and see what became of the recommendations inside of them.
Journalists spoke a lot on Thursday about how the death of a professional colleague has left them shaken. Some wonder if it is time to move on. Others said they are tired of reporting murder after murder with the same public and political reaction.
Tellingly, the latest public polling shows that no matter how many mass killings America endures, the support for increased gun laws is lower today than it was 30 years ago.
We will explore it all in today’s column. It’s not the most fun read you will have today but I hope it helps you think through how we can thoughtfully respond to the death of a journalist.
