Police officers are expected to uphold public laws and protect the safety of citizens. Often the police are blamed for not doing satisfactory work. Lieutenant Skip Frost of the University of Illinois Police Department says, “There’s two sides to every story.” He says the police’s side has often been neglected in the public eye.
When the police must deal with a horrifying incident that has occurred, Lt. Frost says it is easy for the police to be viewed as uncooperative with the public.
For example, if a reporter is trying to discover information about a certain crime they may be turned down when they ask the police for information. They may even be turned down after filing a request to see public documents.
Although it may seem unfair for the public to be kept in the dark on these issues of safety, Lt. Frost says reporters can put the cops at a disadvantage.
One reason officers are advised not to speak to the media is to refrain from sending diverse messages to the public. It is important for a public entity such as the police to present unified messages. Unity strengthens credibility and for the police Lt. Frost says credibility is key.
Another reason cops often refrain from talking to the media is to protect the confidentiality of evidence. When a reporter discovers classified police information, publicly printing or broadcasting that information could potentially ruin an investigation.
A news story should, “be fair and unbiased and balanced,” says Lt. Frost. When deciding which information should be publicly displayed, a reporter must accurately report from an outsider’s point of view.
A current example is the case of Ki-wane Carrington. The media created a view of the police figures that dealt with and killed this 15-year-old when they displayed a photograph of him at a younger age. Lt. Frost said this made the police look like the bad guys for shooting a young, unarmed boy.
He also said that, “this young man had a variety of behavioral issues.” The fact that Carrington had a reputation as a troublemaker was skipped over by the media. This could have been avoided by representing both points of view in this story.
The ways things are represented in the media are frequently one-sided, specifically when dealing with the police. Lt. Frost continually stressed that “It’s not always as it seems.”
Things get twisted around by the media said Lt. Frost. However, he made sure to represent another personal point of view. He said, “The media is a great asset in public safety.” Media allows people to be educated on community issues and become aware of potential dangers.
Above all Lt. Frost says, “Please keep in mind there are two sides to every story.”
