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I would like to give kudos
to the Sandpoint Police Department for
recognizing the power of the internet and
razzies to self proclaimed “local” media that
have lost track of its value and purpose. A
wreck near Cocolalla this morning should,
if all of us who purport to serve the public
view it honestly, sound a clarion.
Trust has been lost, and
for a simple reason; we no longer seem to
appreciate the intelligence of those we serve.
A serious accident that
might have threatened many lives occurred this
morning; law enforcement stopping traffic on
Highway 95 near milepost 460 for miles in both
directions, frustrated motorists stranded
without knowing why until they passed the scene.
A truck carrying ammonium
nitrate crashed, spreading a noxious
gas.
I first learned of the
accident and tried my best as a journalist to
get word out based on insufficient data from
someone who heard it on the scanner; I received
official confirmation that it was true at 1:57
p.m. in an email from Idaho
State Police saying the highway would be shut
down indefinitely.
Two misconceptions are at
play; the media’s perception that they’re the
sole vehicle to get word out to a wide audience,
and law enforcement’s idea that they can control
the dissemination of news.
It’s not just the media
anymore that gets word out … it’s potentially
anyone who drives by with a cell phone and an
opinion. We all have “reach” via the internet.
The Sandpoint Police
Department, in using Facebook, has recognized an
amazing fact; they don’t need a journalist to
tell their news, they can take responsibility
for themselves.
Journalists in most media
haven’t realized it yet; they still seem to
think they need time to analyze and publish “the
truth” when all they need to do is get word out.
Try to find an important
piece of news you need right now to save your
life, your family or your community, you’ll in
most cases be denied unless you answer a pop-up
poll, view an ad or subscribe.
What both sides seem to
have forgotten is our mutual purpose, to serve
and protect.
We seem to have lost faith
in one another. Worse yet, it appears we’ve lost
sense of our abilities; we distrust one another.
The public is the victim.
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