WHO: East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists
WHAT: "Covering Tragedy: A Town Hall Meeting"
WHEN: Oct. 23, 2008 at 7PM
WHERE: East Tennessee Historical Center on Gay Street

PURPOSE: "To generate a dialogue between the media, those involved in tragic situations, and the public. ETSPJ hopes to raise an awareness of the journalistic process, the needs of those directly dealing with a tragic situation, and the expectations of the members of the community."

More details after the jump...

From:
Michael Grider
ETSPJ Board Member, Program Chair
WVLT-TV

Covering Tragedy: A Town Hall Meeting

The East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is honored to present "Covering Tragedy: A Town Hall Meeting" Thursday Oct. 23, 2008 at 7 p.m. at the East Tennessee History Center on Gay Street.

Media representatives from WVLT-TV, WBIR-TV, WATE-TV, The Knoxville News Sentinel, and Citadel Broadcasting (WNOX-FM/ WIVK-FM) will sit on a panel and take questions from a moderator and the audience on the anatomy of a tragic and breaking news story. There will also be three guest speakers who will offer "the other side" of the story. Those speakers are Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Reverend Chris Buice, Knox County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre, and Knoxville Police Chief Sterling Owen.

The panel will discuss the various considerations that go into an evolving news story. It's often clear that the public which journalists serve, is unaware of what actually goes into the journalistic process, and it is our desire to promote an awareness of what journalism is and how it is undertaken.

The guest speakers will offer a few words before the panel discussion in an effort to frame the conversation with respect to two recent tragedies: The deadly TVUUC church shooting that killed two and the Central High School shooting that left one child dead. All of these speakers were not only thrust into the middle of highly stressful and emotional situations, but they were also forced to face a questioning media, with which some have more experience than others.

These speakers have been asked to talk about what role the media played in "their side" of the story. Were the media helpful? Were they a hindrance? How did these people balance the obligation they have to those in need with the responsibility to be open and truthful with the public?

Our goal is to generate a dialogue between the media, those involved in tragic situations, and the public. ETSPJ hopes to raise an awareness of the journalistic process, the needs of those directly dealing with a tragic situation, and the expectations of the members of the community who get their news from us, and live, learn and worship in our community.