Reporters in any medium are charged with doing the tough work of holding up a mirror to their community.
That mirror shows heart-warming stories that lift our faith in our neighbors and world; it reflects the less pleasant realities that corrupt our communities. It shows and tells the myriad, mundane things that impact our lives, the weather, traffic, new businesses, a gubernatorial visit.
Last week Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stopped in Traverse City to sign a somewhat rote piece of legislation authorizing annual natural resources spending. In what was meant to be a light moment, she signed the bill on a kayak. But in a sign of our divisive times, a heckler appeared, yelling for Whitmer to “go back to Lansing.”
She was hustled away by her people, canceling the planned question-and-answer time, and headed to her next stop.
A video of the confrontation shows the man’s behavior continued to escalate after talking to a male reporter, then he turned to a female reporter, threatened to smash the camera, grabbed and threw her microphone and spat at the cameraperson. This much was filmed, and also witnessed by a Record-Eagle reporter.
This mirror shows a few things: One, that the reporters in our community have their priorities straight. Television and newspaper reporters from a number of outlets moved closer to the reporter, taking a seemingly more protective stance than the law enforcement officers standing nearby. They also kept the camera running. They reported what happened. They held the mirror.
But mirrors also break.
Holding up that heavy glass is no easy task, and our reporters endure a lot. Reporters both in our community and abroad endure venom on a daily basis from folks who simply have trouble being confronted with the truth.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker logged 597 cases of physical attacks on journalists since 2017, including 432 in 2020. The vast majority of cases — 472 — happened while covering protests. Since the new year, the project tracked 35 incidents.
Physical attacks are less prevalent in our community, but verbal attacks aren’t.
We take much in stride, striving to keep perspective. Much of the anger and vitriol directed at reporters is often meant for someone else, i.e. anger at policies enacted by governmental leaders. The “don’t shoot the messenger” adage has been around for a long time for a good reason. Delivering the news is not now, and has never been, an easy task.
But the appetite to bully reporters or the apathy when they are bullied does not reflect well on any of us.
— TRAVERSECITY RECORD-EAGLE