‘How could you?’ vs. ‘many thanks’

Readers can sometimes misinterpret a reporter’s role

Journalists are sometimes assailed for taking advantage of our subjects.

For shining a spotlight on those who don’t want it.

For exploiting grief.

For putting the story ahead of the person.

For knocking on doors, invading privacy.

In the movies, actors often portray journalists as heartless, and victims as hapless.

That may happen sometimes, but it’s not usually the case.

Spectator columnist Susan Clairmont received feedback (to put it mildly) following a recent column about a Grade 12 student who was removed from a co-op placement after using what she thought was an “OK” sign in a social media photo.

Some say the gesture is a symbol of white supremacy, and she should have known better.

Few of us in the newsroom had known until then what Clairmont would tell us in her column: “In 2019, the Anti-Defamation League, a U.S. Jewish civil rights organization, added the hand sign to its Hate on Display database.”

At a virtual news meeting, we agreed this was of interest to everyone.

The girl made the sign by joining her thumb and index finger, as many have for generations, to indicate “all good.”

Clairmont interviewed the student, and was blasted for exploiting her.

What critics don’t realize is the girl’s mother reached out to Clairmont, and her father later wrote a letter to the editor thanking us for writing the story.

Clairmont has heard it all before, as have most journalists.

“Even though we quote them and take their photo, readers think we’ve done it without their permission,” says Clairmont, who, like many reporters, is sometimes criticized for interviewing those who have lost a loved one.

“How dare you write about this family,” recounts Clairmont of reactions over the years.

“Shame on you for capitalizing on their grief.”

Contacting someone who has lost a family member is not a fun assignment, but it is necessary.

Sometimes reporters are greeted with “how could you?” but just as often get “thank you for coming.”

Some people want privacy, and that is their right.

But many want to tell their stories, to recount lives lived, to bring understanding to injustices, to share triumphs and to bring meaning to tragedies.