Today, The Washington Post went further than any mainstream news organization has ever gone before in showing the brutality and devastation of something that plagues this nation: mass shootings.
This morning, The Washington Post published
It’s at this point, you should be warned: The Post piece is extremely graphic and some may find it disturbing. The Post looks back at 11 mass shootings in which the weapon used was an AR-15. Just the names of the places bring back horrific memories: Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas, and Newtown, Connecticut. The Post妩媚直播檚 project includes the shootings at a concert in Las Vegas, a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and a synagogue in Pittsburgh.
To have the most impact, the Post told the story through photos, videos and the words of those who have survived these horrific shootings. The photos are jarring. For example, there are images of schoolrooms at Robb Elementary in Uvalde moments after dead children were removed. Videos are hard to watch, such as one that includes the cries of students inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, as gunshots are heard.
On Wednesday, I spoke with Washington Post executive editor Sally Buzbee. Buzbee told me, 妩媚直播淲e know it妩媚直播檚 very sensitive material and very disturbing and we know it will be disturbing to people.妩媚直播�
In some ways, that妩媚直播檚 the point: for people to see what mass shootings look and sound like and, specifically, the damage done by the AR-15. Buzbee emphasized during our conversation that the Post was 妩媚直播渘ot aiming for the shock value.妩媚直播� However, she told me, 妩媚直播淣ews organizations rarely publish extremely graphic content around these things. And we just felt that there was a lack of understanding of what actually happens in these shootings. We妩媚直播檙e really just trying to say what the destructive power is and what these (weapons) actually do. I think our main hope is people just get a more factual, realistic view of what happens in these highly destructive mass shootings.妩媚直播�
In March, as a part of a on AR-15s, the Post published a . Through graphics and 3D animations, the piece showed the devastation done by a weapon so often used in mass shootings.
But some readers said the Post should go further, that it should show the realities of what the AR-15 really does, the damage it inflicts, the pain it causes and leaves behind.
So for the past six months, through the work of more than 30 journalists, the Post put together this important project.
published Thursday, Buzbee wrote, 妩媚直播淲e filed more than 30 public records requests in jurisdictions that had investigated AR-15 shootings since 2012, the year that included massacres at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., seeking medical examiner records, crime scene photographs, police body camera footage and other investigative files. Most of our requests were rejected, with officials citing ongoing investigations or local laws preventing the release of such information. Officials in some communities released documents in response to our requests, including Aurora, Dayton, Ohio, and Las Vegas. Our reporters also gathered court records and other information that had previously been made public, and scoured social media and websites for photos and videos that may have surfaced after AR-15 shootings. They interviewed survivors and first responders willing to share their experiences, searched for official transcripts of witness testimony and compiled relevant interviews conducted in the past by Post journalists 妩媚直播� amassing firsthand accounts that are crucial to this story.妩媚直播�
Buzbee then wrote that the Post separately obtained a collection of evidence from the shooting in Uvalde compiled by state and federal police and not previously made public.
Then came the grueling part: examining the photos and videos and deciding which ones should be published. The Post reached out to many of those who lost loved ones and, in particular, those who lost children. They spoke with community leaders and advocates on all sides. Some reached even said they were open to the Post showing the dead bodies of their loved ones.
Buzbee told me, 妩媚直播淲e tried to figure out what was respectful that also showed the reality of these shootings. And there is blood. And there is an enormous amount of graphic damage, but we ultimately decided it was too far to show bodies. We wanted people to be able to see this and not recoil.妩媚直播�
Only one photo 妩媚直播� from the Las Vegas shooting 妩媚直播� shows actual dead bodies. But the image is from such a distance that no one is recognizable.
Still, what the Post did publish is hard to look at. Buzbee, however, said the Post really wanted to show the commonalities among the shootings involving AR-15s.
妩媚直播淲e妩媚直播檙e not trying to create things purely for shock value,妩媚直播� Buzbee said. 妩媚直播淲hat we really sought to do here was to show just how destructive, how profoundly devastating this type of shooting with this type of weapon is. But not go so far that the entire conversation circulated around, 妩媚直播極h, you妩媚直播檙e just trying to shock us.妩媚直播欏闹辈
On the other hand, the Post also wanted to be careful to not show so much that it would desensitize its audience to the violence. It had to be cautious in selecting just the right material to publish, knowing this might be the only opportunity it has to run such a piece.
妩媚直播淲e did worry that every time you go further into something you desensitize people and so we felt we needed to be enormously careful and responsible if we were going to do this,妩媚直播� Buzbee said. 妩媚直播淲e talked about it a lot. We showed it to various people. We communicated very deeply with the families and tried to learn from all those experiences as we went along. We went to great lengths with the warnings to our readers 妩媚直播� warnings that were more detailed, but more approachable. Our goal is not to desensitize people to violence.妩媚直播�
Not only did the Post alert the loved ones of victims about the project, but it also showed the project to a test audience to get their reactions. A buzz about the project started to filter through social media on Wednesday, with one Uvalde parent encouraging people to not read or share it.
妩媚直播淢any families support this kind of coverage,妩媚直播� Buzbee said. 妩媚直播淥ther families do not support this kind of coverage. I think that we respect both points of view and mean no harm to any family, and feel deep compassion. 妩媚直播� What our goal here was to ensure that no family felt that we were not listening to them.妩媚直播�
Surely, a debate will follow about whether or not the Post went too far or, some could argue, not far enough.
Kelly McBride, 妩媚直播妩媚直播檚 senior vice president and chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, told me, 妩媚直播淭here isn妩媚直播檛 a parent in America who doesn妩媚直播檛 fear the prospect of their child being caught in a shooting involving an automatic weapon. The Post has done a significant amount of reporting on this topic and they妩媚直播檝e found ways both in the past and in this new package to tell the story that both informs the audience and respects the varied capacity that people might have to take in difficult images. It would be cowardly to avoid pushing for a deeper understanding, simply to avoid criticism.妩媚直播�
The Post is hoping this is not the end of the conversation, but a continuation. Today妩媚直播檚 project also includes this story:
Buzbee wrote in her editor妩媚直播檚 note, 妩媚直播淲e realize this story will be disturbing to many readers, but we believe that publishing these images gives the public a new vantage point into the pattern of AR-15 mass killings in the United States. We hope that readers will share their feedback in the comments section at the end of the story.妩媚直播�
Readers assuredly will.
On a personal note, I was shaken by the piece, a few of the photos and one video in particular. But The Post did its job responsibly.
There was a part of me that wished the Post had gone even farther, but I have never lost a loved one in a mass shooting.
In the end, this project is difficult to look at. It妩媚直播檚 supposed to be.
Meet the new boss 妩媚直播�
Same as the old boss?
Wednesday was officially Rupert Murdoch妩媚直播檚 last day as chairman of News Corp., the company that includes publications and networks such as Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. Rupert妩媚直播檚 son, Lachlan Murdoch, who is the CEO of Fox Corp., will take over for his father. However, there妩媚直播檚 a belief that the 92-year-old Rupert Murdoch will still have a hand in the business.
At News Corp.妩媚直播檚 annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, the elder Murdoch said, 妩媚直播淎s you know, I am moving to the role of chairman emeritus, and Lachlan will become the sole chair of News Corp. Lachlan is a principled leader, and a believer in the social purpose of journalism. I hope to continue an active role in the company.妩媚直播�
So will anything be different with Lachlan, technically, running the show?
Brian Stelter, who has a new book about Fox News, 妩媚直播淲ell, Rupert Murdoch is, in his heart, a newspaper man. He believes he is a journalist. Yes, he comes at it from the right. He has certain very strongly held opinions. But he deeply cares about his newspapers and, to some degree, Fox News. His son Lachlan is, No. 1, in some ways, more conservative and, No. 2, much more business-minded. He’s not nearly as interested in politics. He’s not nearly as interested in the polling. He’s a lot more interested in how much money he can rake in from campaign ad spending at his stations and on Fox News. So he comes to this as a businessman, and I suspect that means Fox is going to continue to be this beating heart of the GOP, supporting whoever becomes the nominee, most likely Trump this year.妩媚直播�
Making the rounds
MSNBC妩媚直播檚 Rachel Maddow, left, appearing on CBS妩媚直播檚 妩媚直播淭he Late Show with Stephen Colbert.妩媚直播� (Courtesy: CBS / @skpnyc)
This was something: Three NBC News/MSNBC on-air personalities were featured on late-night talk shows on Wednesday.
on CBS妩媚直播檚 妩媚直播淭he Late Show with Stephen Colbert妩媚直播�; on NBC妩媚直播檚 妩媚直播淟ate Night with Seth Meyers妩媚直播�; and Comedy Central妩媚直播檚 妩媚直播淭he Daily Show妩媚直播� with guest host Leslie Jones.
While Colbert妩媚直播檚 show was taping, it was learned that House Speaker Mike Johnson was able to avoid a government shutdown, but only because of help from the Democrats.
After taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyebrows, Maddow deadpanned, 妩媚直播淚妩媚直播檓 sure Mr. Johnson is very smart and capable and knows exactly what he妩媚直播檚 doing.妩媚直播� Then she said, 妩媚直播淏ut he got this job because the previous guy (California Rep. Kevin McCarthy) was driven out with pitchforks and torches for having had the temerity to speak to political opponents rather than wishing them dead, and now he (Johnson) needs his political opponents in order to keep his job. We all know how this ends.妩媚直播�
Maddow then criticized the Republican Party, saying it妩媚直播檚 妩媚直播渘ot a party that is trying to govern.妩媚直播� She added, 妩媚直播淣ow we are going to keep the government open. It is because the Democrats came to the rescue and said that we should. But this is the Republican Party still not even wanting to keep the government going because they don妩媚直播檛 believe that governance is what we need in this country; they believe we want a strongman form of government under a guy who just says what he wants and it happens.妩媚直播�
CNN drama
David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, shown here in June in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
If you妩媚直播檙e into juicy, behind-the-scenes media drama, here妩媚直播檚 a piece for you: The New York Times妩媚直播� James B. Stewart and Benjamin Mullin with
The story looks at how David Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery (which owns CNN), had friendships with several people who ended up getting fired from CNN. We妩媚直播檙e talking about former heads Jeff Zucker and Chris Licht, as well as on-air talent Don Lemon and Brian Stelter. The Times reports that Zaslav and Zucker were best friends, but that didn妩媚直播檛 save Zucker. The two no longer talk or text daily like they used to.
The story reveals some of the friendships that Zaslav had with certain people, and then what happened before and after they were fired. It also goes into a bit of detail about how they were fired.
There is a belief that Zaslav was going to eventually replace Zucker, but then Zucker was let go before Zaslav had a chance after it was discovered that Zucker was having a consensual relationship with one of his top lieutenants. The Times story reveals how the two met after the fact when they happened to be staying in the same hotel in Miami Beach. Reportedly, Zucker told Zaslav that he was coming out of the most difficult periods of his life and that all of his closest friends were there 妩媚直播� 妩媚直播淓xcept me,妩媚直播� Zaslav said, finishing Zucker妩媚直播檚 sentence.
The two apparently patched things up. Yet later, the Times reported, Zaslav belittled Zucker as a weakling who had tears in his eyes when they met.
There妩媚直播檚 much more to the behind-the-scenes stuff, so it妩媚直播檚 a good and informative read.
Also in the Times, this story about Zaslav from Stewart, Mullin and Jonathan Mahler:
Inspirational words
This week, Benjamin Hall, the Fox News reporter badly injured while covering the war in Ukraine, was presented with the Kenneth Y. Tomlinson Award for Courageous Journalism at the 30th annual The Fund for American Studies journalism awards dinner in New York.
During his speech, Hall talked about the two colleagues 妩媚直播� photographer Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian Oleksandra 妩媚直播淪asha妩媚直播� Kuvshynova 妩媚直播� who were killed while working alongside him on March 14, 2022. Hall lost his right leg below the knee, much of his left foot and the sight in his left eye. His left thumb was blown off, his skull was dented and he was burned over much of his body.
Hall said, 妩媚直播淧eople ask me, if you could heal yourself up, get rid of the injuries, but never have done a day’s work of journalism, would you take it? To which I say no. Absolutely not. I think that what we do, what every journalist out there is doing right now is essential.妩媚直播�
He recognized other journalists covering the war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas. He mentioned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is being detained in Russia on allegations that he妩媚直播檚 a spy 妩媚直播� allegations vehemently denied by the U.S. government and the Journal.
妩媚直播淚t’s really noble,妩媚直播� Hall said, 妩媚直播渁nd I stand here not because I was injured, or because of my experiences, because I stand here just to tell you all that journalism is essential. Supporting journalism is essential. It is the only way to encourage people to change the world. And there’s only one way of doing that as a journalist. And that is by going into the field, looking people in the eyes. Smelling what it’s like, feeling it. There is no other sense of journalism.妩媚直播�
Sad news
Terry Taylor, the first female sports editor of The Associated Press, has died. She was 71. She had been battling breast cancer since 2013.
Julie Pace, senior vice president and executive editor of the AP, , 妩媚直播淭erry was truly a trailblazer in journalism, paving the way for so many women to ascend into leadership, both in sports departments and throughout the industry. Her legacy at AP has been an enduring one, and that will no doubt continue.妩媚直播�
Taylor ran the AP sports department from 1992 until 2013.
Jim Litke, an AP reporter from 1978 to 2022 and longtime national columnist, told Blum, 妩媚直播淵ou had to work alongside her to appreciate how many barriers she knocked over day after day, and she did it with joy and plenty of humor, but nobody had sharper elbows. Whether it was wrangling a generator from a hotel manager in San Francisco the night an earthquake rocked the World Series, or walking into the chairman妩媚直播檚 office at Augusta National to deliver her point in person, Terry never stopped trying to make every story she touched better. She dared us to follow her lead, to push and pull at every loose thread, and made all of us better reporters and even better people in the bargain.妩媚直播�
Media tidbits
- Variety妩媚直播檚 Brian Steinberg with
- From the let妩媚直播檚-see-if-it-works-this-time department, Variety妩媚直播檚 Todd Spangler with
- On Politico妩媚直播檚 website, another excerpt from Brian Stelter妩媚直播檚 new book about Fox News, 妩媚直播淣etwork of Lies,妩媚直播� which is out this week:
- A legal battle in Philadelphia. PhillyMag妩媚直播檚 Victor Fiorillo with
- Jason Aidoo will succeed Raina Kelley as boss of ESPN妩媚直播檚 Andscape, the site devoted to the intersection of Black culture and sports. McCarthy writes, 妩媚直播淎idoo, who had run business operations for Andscape, will add editorial oversight to his responsibilities but will not pick up her editor-in-chief title, said sources.妩媚直播�
Hot type
- From The New York Times Opinion, text by Judith Surber and photographs by Justin Maxon:
- The Athletic妩媚直播檚 Brendan Quinn with
More resources for journalists
- . Get facts delivered straight to your inbox.
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- How Any Journalist Can Earn Trust (Self-directed course) 妩媚直播� Enroll now.
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