It gives me the heebie jeebies...

I like to envision myself as an open-minded, all-accepting reporter. I try not to judge and have always done a swell job of staying very neutral...much to the annoyance of my political science professors. They would always write in big red letters at the top of my papers, "Pick a side, and defend it!"

As an editor, the one thing I would admit makes me uncomfortable is a juicy story surrounding the death of a private citizen or someone in the military. Stories about people who are used to being under public scrutiny aren't as hard to handle. But virgins to the news world make me uncomfortable.

The sources for these stories are going through an emotional nightmare and the last thing they need are reporters shoving questions their way. But that's part and parcel of the industry. It is just hard, as one human being to another, to exploit a person's situation. It may make for a damn good story, but if I had it sitting in front of me I would be extremely nervous, and overly-cautious while reading through the story.

If I had to deal with it as an editor, I would ensure that the reporter on assignment gives ample notice to the family and friends who they are headed out to interview. Also, I would remind them to be sensitive. With the information that comes back, nothing extremely personal should be published unless it relates to the story. And things that are personal should be written in a gentle way, maybe with more of a feature edge.

I don't think there is any good way to deal with the situation, but using extreme sensitivity would be highest on my priority list.