THE JOURNALISTS’ NARRATIVE
A project capturing the experiences and perspectives of 19 Oregon-area journalists who covered the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. The project intent is to contribute to the conversation about how journalism can responsibly cover gun violence, balancing the moral imperatives of seeking truth and minimizing harm.
News Breaks
Journalists were going about their day when news of a shooting broke. Meet the journalists and learn how they got their assignments.
John Sepulvado
Oregon Public Broadcasting and CNN
Chelsea Gorrow
The Register-Guard
Tim Steele
KOIN
Joseph Hoyt
Student freelancer for The Washington Post
Dirk VanderHart
The Portland Mercury and The New York Times
Hillary Lake
KATU
Chris Pietsch
The Register-Guard
Troy Brynelson
The News-Review
Ian Campbell
The News-Review
Scott Greenstone
Student intern for The News-Review
Andy Nelson
The Register-Guard
Cameron Shultz
Student freelance photojournalist
Michael Sullivan
The News-Review
Amber Wilmarth
KEZI
Eli Saslow
The Washington Post
Jonathan Bach
Student freelancer for The Daily Beast
Rachael McDonald
KLCC
Andrew Greif
The Oregonian
Ryan Kang
Student freelancer for the Associated Press
On the Scene
Two of the journalists, Ian Campbell and Michael Sullivan of The News-Review in Roseburg, made it to campus before it was closed. The rest of the media gathered at either a nearby firehouse, where news conferences were held, or the county fairgrounds, where family and friends were instructed to wait. Here’s what the journalists observed.
John Sepulvado
Oregon Public Broadcasting and CNN
Dirk VanderHart
The Portland Mercury and The New York Times
Troy Brynelson
The News-Review
Ian Campbell
The News-Review
Hillary Lake
KATU
Michael Sullivan
The News-Review
Amber Wilmarth
KEZI
Rachael McDonald
KLCC
Chelsea Gorrow
The Register-Guard
Joseph Hoyt
Student freelancer for The Washington Post
Andrew Greif
The Oregonian
Approaching Sources
A journalist’s first job in a breaking news event is basic: Find out what happened. Here’s how the journalists approached interviews and/or taking photographs.
Dirk VanderHart
The Portland Mercury and The New York Times
John Sepulvado
Oregon Public Broadcasting and CNN
Troy Brynelson
The News-Review
Ian Campbell
The News-Review
Hillary Lake
KATU
Jonathan Bach
Student freelancer for The Daily Beast
Andy Nelson
The Register-Guard
Eli Saslow
The Washington Post
Amber Wilmarth
KEZI
Rachael McDonald
KLCC
Joseph Hoyt
Student freelancer for The Washington Post
Cameron Shultz
Student freelance photojournalist
Reporting Process
It’s different for everyone: writers, broadcasters, photographers. Here they discuss their journalistic process.
Dirk VanderHart
The Portland Mercury and The New York Times
Tim Steele
KOIN
John Sepulvado
Oregon Public Broadcasting and CNN
Ian Campbell
The News-Review
Hillary Lake
KATU
Andy Nelson
The Register-Guard
Jonathan Bach
Student freelancer for The Daily Beast
Michael Sullivan
The News-Review
Amber Wilmarth
KEZI
Eli Saslow
The Washington Post
Joseph Hoyt
Student freelancer for The Washington Post
Andrew Greif
The Oregonian
Social Media
Twitter and Facebook, particularly, are integral parts of the reporting process. Here’s how the journalists interacted with social media, which was sometimes a benefit, sometimes a hindrance.
Ethical Challenges
When news breaks and a community is shattering, reporting the news gets especially complicated. Here’s how the journalists made their judgment calls, balancing the moral imperatives of seeking truth and minimizing harm.
Dirk VanderHart
The Portland Mercury and The New York Times
Troy Brynelson
The News-Review
Ian Campbell
The News-Review
Chris Pietsch
The Register-Guard
Hillary Lake
KATU
Eli Saslow
The Washington Post
Ryan Kang
Student freelancer for the Associated Press
John Sepulvado
Oregon Public Broadcasting and CNN
Tim Steele
KOIN
Local vs National
All of these journalists were based in Oregon, although not all reported for Oregon news organizations. Here are the differences they saw in how local and national organizations approached coverage.
Chris Pietsch
The Register-Guard
Scott Greenstone
Student intern for The News-Review
Ian Campbell
The News-Review
Troy Brynelson
The News-Review
Michael Sullivan
The News-Review
Amber Wilmarth
KEZI
Eli Saslow
The Washington Post
Chelsea Gorrow
The Register-Guard
Andrew Greif
The Oregonian
Dirk VanderHart
The Portland Mercury and The New York Times
Emotional Responses
None of the reporters, of course, had to cope with the stress or emotional toll that students and family members did. But that doesn’t mean they were uncaring, unfeeling observers. Here’s what they felt—and how they coped.
Ian Campbell
The News-Review
Andy Nelson
The Register-Guard
Hillary Lake
KATU
Michael Sullivan
The News-Review
Chelsea Gorrow
The Register-Guard
Amber Wilmarth
KEZI
Eli Saslow
The Washington Post
Rachael McDonald
KLCC
Joseph Hoyt
Student freelancer for The Washington Post
John Sepulvado
Oregon Public Broadcasting and CNN
Covering the Shooter
To name or not to name? To use an image or not? Here the journalists explain not just what they did, but why they did it.
Tim Steele
KOIN
Troy Brynelson
The News-Review
Ian Campbell
The News-Review
Scott Greenstone
Student intern for The News-Review
Andy Nelson
The Register-Guard
Amber Wilmarth
KEZI
Eli Saslow
The Washington Post
Rachael McDonald
KLCC
Chelsea Gorrow
The Register-Guard
Cameron Shultz
Student freelance photojournalist
John Sepulvado
Oregon Public Broadcasting and CNN
Reviewing the Coverage
Journalism is a craft—journalists learn through their reporting and the reporting of others. Here they discuss what was done well and what could have been improved, both in covering Roseburg and in reporting on mass shootings in general.
Assessing their Value
Here the journalists explain why what they do matters—not just as individuals, but overall as a profession.
Beyond Breaking News
In an event such as this, the breaking news facts are important. But so is the long term response. Here the journalists who stayed on the scene longer than a few days discuss what they reported and how their jobs changed, from covering funerals and Obama’s visit to the long-term individual and community response.
Andrew Greif
The Oregonian
Ryan Kang
Student freelancer for the Associated Press
Eli Saslow
The Washington Post
Troy Brynelson
The News-Review
Chris Pietsch
The Register-Guard
Rachael McDonald
KLCC
Amber Wilmarth
KEZI
Ian Campbell
The News-Review
Andy Nelson
The Register-Guard
John Sepulvado
Oregon Public Broadcasting and CNN
Tim Steele
KOIN
Covering a Community
Yes, the journalists went to Roseburg to cover a mass school shooting. But they were covering more than a crime—they were reporting on the community where it happened. Here they reflect on why that distinction matters.