I IItIVIIrIJIutpiI L/IIiv- Vire r.7rJA: E1'. - MT= 1 2B - The Mi~ an Daily - Wusea, ca- Best of Ann Arbor - ThursdApril 18, 1996 A Alk ja IIlC ivIIcrngars Uaiiy Vjjjjt!!n 944. - DC5! a w .L4. LiM e i Media pushes envelope too far on young pilot story -qw IW One month ago, 7-year-old Jessica Dubroff, her flight instructor and her father announced that Jessica would attempt to break the world record and become the youngest person to fly across the country. And the media was there. A week and a half ago, Jessica, her flight instructor and her father flew successfully from California to Cheyenne. And the media was there. One week ago, Jessica, her flight instructor and her father attempted to leave Cheyenne for the second stop on their flight. Either through bad weather or bad judgment, something went very wrong. And you'd better believe, like vultures, the media was there. Katie Couric of the "Today" show, who had interviewed Jessica ALEXANDRA TWIN Public Access VOTED BEST SHOE STORE IN ANN ARBOR BY OUR STAFF! and her father on a Monday as they prepared to leave, interviewed her grieving mother on the Friday after the fatal crash. Every major paper in the country ran front-page stories and has run daily updates since, as new information surfaces. These same publications ran big stories announcing Jessica's impending flight in previous weeks. These same publications would have run stories had Jessica Dubroff's flight been successful, but the stories wouldn't have been quite so big. Nothing sells like a tragedy, especially one involving children. Can the media be held at least partially responsible for this tragedy, as many people are suggesting? Did the hype surround- ing this event encourage the flight instructor to allow a takeoff when the weather was bad? Or was the flight instructor solely responsible for this decision, as the FAA bigwigs are stating? Or was Jessica Dubroff's family responsible for what happened by supporting their 7-year-old child in her desire to act on what might be viewed as an adult ambition? Yet, after the fact, what is the value in blame? The flight instructor isn't here to defend himself. Neither is Jessica's father. But the press continues, swooping down over this event, snatching it up to milk it for all it's worth. In their zest to report what is newsworthy, the press can push the envelope too far. This may very well be such a case. Among journalists, there is nothing so debated as ethics. The New York Times boasts of exposing "All the news that's fit to print." Other major publications have similar tag lines and approaches to news (with the obvious exception of alleged "newspapers" like "The Inquirer"). Yet there is no set standard that defines what exactly is "fit to print." There is no set standard that writers and editors can look to when trying to deter- mine the boundaries of reporting. There is no set standard but judgment, personal judgment. If something seems newsworthy but violates privacy is it still news worthy? If something seems newsworthy but jeopardizes someone's well- being, is it still newsworthy? If something seems news worthy but indirectly results in people getting killed, was it, in retrospect, still news worthy? It can be argued that, regardless of the consequences, what is worthy of being reported should. be reported. Yet a 7-year-old girl, her teacher and her father are dead. They may have chosen to takeoff from the ground that day instead of waiting out the storm because of the enormous expecta- tions surrounding their venture. The media helped create these expectations. Granted, "the media" is a broad term, incorporating all print, television and other forms of news reporting. While most individuals within the media did not personally report on this case and therefore help foster the interest it sparked, by being a part of the media, each of these individuals is slightly responsible or at least connected to what happened. As a member of the writing staff of a publication, that includes me. I'm not proposing that the media was responsible or should be held responsible for this plane crash, for this adventurous and precocious little girl's death. But it cannot be denied that the media played a role. It was a matter of judgment. Bad judgment, all around. Bad judgment by the media and bad judgment by whomever let them takeoff from the ground that day. Bad judgment is an error that is human and thus understandable, but not without consequences. Unfortu- nately, in this case. The conse- quences outweighed the benefits. Sometimes - no matter how seemingly newsworthy - certain events should simply be left alone. -Alix can be reached over e- mail at alixt@umich.edu. Best First-run Theater: The State Theater Now that they finally got rid of the Pulp Fiction marathon, there's actually room for some first-run movies. Like that Academy Award marthon thing they had going on. That sure was cool. But what is the deal with the weird seating and screen positioning? It's kind of a cool place to see a movie, and it doesn't cost $6.75 like at Show- case, either. Best Test Prep: Kaplan Someone suggested "going to class" in this category. Yeah, right, like why would you bother study- ing the traditional way when you could just sleep through classes and give up the dough to up your score. Of course, what's $1,000 when you'll make $90,000 a year after law school? Best Video Store: Blockbuster Everything under the sun, includ- ing 300 copies of Forrest Gump. And what great commericals they have. We heard it takes certain people hours to pick out videos - some people even like picking out the video more than actually watch- ing it. Nevertheless, that's just what we hear. Best Party Store: Village Corner Now, this place has a major stock- pile of liquor. Wine, wine, and more wine. But when will they get the Cuban cigars? And how about those Pez dispensers? Mmmmmmm. We sure do like Pez here at The Michi- gan Daily. But perhaps the greatest thing about the Village Corner is the singles of beer. What better way to take a round the world trip than via beer? Best Copies: Kinko's Open 24 hours a day, and they even have one-hour photo. Who could ask for anything more? They even have computers to rent - at a nominal fee, of course. There are also color copies - at a nominal cost. And what about those color ink copiers? A nominal fee again, however. w NIERTAI I rI 1T,6t evio went to d Cn 9. Bush admits the 8. AllenGinsberg's Day Daycare. 7. Sure; everybod) but what about the 0 6. PamelaAndersoi for "literary" endeav 5. New fad: Ever ears. 4. Carnie Wilson e 3. Courtney Love 2. Communication Forensics Institute. 1. The Blowfish hi F MPYBUJ ICI ", I R .1 tea ice., / tl s YY 10 It j " N 10 0111011b i t .s " -.j is Gia' z ยข " A Now KRISTEN SCHAEFER/Daily Centrally located, the State Theater has been around a long time. comfort made in eng land~ (~' V Dr. Martens The top. Always have been. Always will be. why? No hype. There's no need. Put themon' and you know. The best leathers, Air-Cushioned sole. Craftsmanship.' Made in England. Made to last. } '~ ~zA' 7r7pdo 0 / Free billiards. Satellite sports. Retro Rock Dance Night w/DJ Chuck Food & drink specials. Drink specials all night. $1 Cover College Night. Contests! $1 Pitchers Ann Arbor's Biggest No cover wlstudent ID21+ Modern Rock Dance Parties mNEW r X PARTIES! May 10 and the 2nd Friday of every month. 89X DJ Kelly Brown, contests, qiveaways and more! RESTAURANT SPORTSAR 1220 South University 66S-7777 322 E. Liberty 662-9401 1200 S. University 994-9401 11ItA-MKS rDR 5HoIPJA I - a * ,~ . - . .. - -