Church: A melee in Sarasota, and how we covered it

Published: Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 5:46 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 5:46 p.m.

About 3 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, Sarasota Police officers arrested four people. Police reported 75 to 100 people at what might be described as a party.

Police saw two men urinating in public. They approached one of the men, who reportedly tried to get away. You can imagine the commotion and confusion that ensued that morning as the police dealt with the men while cognizant of the crowd's actions. It's safe to summarize that something went awry when three of the men arrested were charged with battery on a law enforcement officer.

Read the above description, and most readers would expect the Herald-Tribune to report this story online and in the next-day edition.

It's news in the traditional sense. It's not every day that police arrest four men after a confrontation. One of the men was treated at the hospital before going to jail.

But some news stories have a life cycle beyond the paper that lands on your doorstep.

Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino immediately had to deal with questions about whether officers acted accordingly.

Now, nearly a month later, we're returning to this story because a group of six community leaders believe the Herald-Tribune impugned the reputation of Sarasota's annual celebration of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.

Here's the first paragraph in the story: "An annual celebration of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday turned into a melee early Sunday that ended with four men arrested, including one who was hospitalized after getting hit in the face by a police officer swinging his flashlight."

The first paragraph reflects a typical storyline that readers may relate to ? how a positive (the birthday celebration) somehow became a negative (police arrests from a party that was distinct from the celebration).

I was among a group of Herald-Tribune executives and journalists who listened to these community leaders express frustration and hurt at how the celebration's events ? and its deeper meaning ? were linked to this unaffiliated party.

I also met with Herald-Tribune journalists to get context behind the story.

There was no malice intended to demean the MLK celebration in Sarasota. Get beyond the emotions ? which, granted, is difficult to do ? and three issues emerge about our coverage:

-The incident happened. The confusion and confrontations in a public place fit the definition of a "melee."

-The MLK celebration featured events at different times and locations. The crowd that gathered at 3 a.m. was not part of an official event planned by the organizers. We didn't make this distinction clear to readers.

-We exacerbated the situation by failing to cover the event itself. The Herald-Tribune has covered the MLK celebration in past years, so it should have been on our radar.

I understand the raw emotions. In our meeting with the six community leaders, they perceive a history of unfair coverage of African-Americans and the Newtown area.

I have an obligation to listen and communicate with readers.

Ultimately, though, you decide whether our coverage is fair, balanced and important.

Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130216/opinion090351/130219652

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