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Video of Ratcliff's father was a mistake
By ChrisCobler in Your Advocate: an editor's blog
October 31, 2007

Some viewers criticized our video interview of Michael Ratcliff's father on the day his son was being indicted. Unfortunately, I think they were right.

As print journalists, we're new to the video world, and we made a misstep here. Our reporter and photographer went to the house looking for Michael Ratcliff, not his father. We wanted to confirm he had been fired and was about to be arrested.

When Ratcliff's father opened the door, our reporter asked for his son. We didn't want to be the one to break the news about his son's arrest to him and regret doing so. We went ahead and talked with the father because that's what print journalists are trained to do -- gather the facts. We thought the father's comments would add provide viewers a human side to a man being accused of one of the most unspeakable crimes in our society.

We reconsidered as we saw how powerfully the video affected people. We have pulled the video from our Web site. Clearly, we have new ethical issues to consider as we continue into the world of video.

What viewers didn't see on the video is the compassion our reporter and photographer showed to the father at the end of the conversation. Our reporter asked whether he could do anything for him and whether he had someone nearby for support. Our photographer said he was praying for him.

We try to minimize the harm caused by our reporting. We can never eliminate harm because news stories often are about misfortune of some sort. Ratcliff's father would have learned the sad news from somewhere. We're sorry it was from us.

Comments


  • ChrisCobler ChrisCobler Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    Thanks for alerting us. We missed a spot buried on the site where the video still appeared. We think it's all taken care of now. Please let us know if you see otherwise.

    November 1, 2007 at 4:16 p.m.

  • catgirl catgirl Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    The video is still there ... I just clicked on it less than 2 minutes ago 11/1/07 @ 12:48pm

    November 1, 2007 at 12:50 p.m.

  • darlins64 darlins64 Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    Chris and the other Advocate employees;
    I agree with texson1986.... it is the real "man" (or woman) who can stand up, especially in such a public manner, and admit that they were wrong.  My respect for you guys and the job that you do is tremendous.  I know that you are still going to receive alot of negative feedback from the public on this matter, but you've done your best to rectify the situation.  Thanks for coming forward, admitting your mistake, and apologizing! 
    Linda M. Schuenemann

    November 1, 2007 at 8:14 a.m.

  • DanEaston DanEaston Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    Thanks for posting this Chris.  I agree with everything you said.  From my perspective, I think we were so caught up in the fact that we had successfully produced a video that we overlooked the option of simply not publishing it.  I was regrettably part of that decision.  Instead, we chose to cut out portions of the video to try to preserve some dignity in it.  The lesson for me is that sometimes we capture something that simply doesn't deserve to be published.  I know we are familiar with that concept in print, but we learned that it applies to other mediums as well. 

    Thanks again for setting the record straight on this, and also thanks to all our readers who urged us to take a second look at what we had done.

    November 1, 2007 at 12:38 a.m.

  • areu4real areu4real Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    I am so glad that you have admitted your misstep...I was absolutely appalled at this interview.  I regarded this interview as totally unnecessary and in extremely poor taste.  What fault did this man have in this travesty.  What would you expect for a parent to say about their child.  Instead of sensationalism you should focus on the facts, the whole facts, and nothing but the facts.

    October 31, 2007 at 9:44 p.m.

  • texson1986 texson1986 Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    I have a great deal of respect for any man who can admit when they are wrong. I think it was clear that there was no intent to be cruel, but it did sort of come off that way. I am glad it has been taken down. God only knows what that poor old man is going through. Can you imagine one day your son is a respected member of the community the next he is an accused violent pedophile?

    October 31, 2007 at 8:42 p.m.