Too much information?

A caller felt that today’s story on the Pullman murder-suicide went a little too far. The problem? Including the fact that two of the victims were in the bedroom of the apartment when they were shot. The story doesn’t speculate as to why they were there, and it’s common in homicide stories to report where the body was found, but perhaps that’s the problem - in the absence of information, people tend to draw their own conclusions.

This complaint prompted discussion of when details are necessary to tell the story, and when they become gratuitous. In this case, there was no real consensus over whether this particular detail was necessary. It’s possible the two victims were in a relationship, equally possible they weren’t. They may have been in another room and fled to the bedroom when the assailant entered. The victims’ location may help shed more light on the crime itself. Shooting someone in the bedroom in a fit of jealous rage is one thing, shooting them in the kitchen is a whole new level of paranoia.

Does this type of speculation cause more harm than it’s worth? Are we casting aspersions on the victims of a senseless tragedy? It’s a question we constantly struggle with, and it’s good to be reminded that decisions we make - even for legitimate, professional reasons - have repercussions outside the newsroom beyond our knowledge or understanding, Steve Smith said.

A family member of the victim of a recent tragedy will be coming to the newsroom early next year to discuss this very issue. Stay tuned.