It's not often--
"--that the reporters actually get to be witnesses."
Courier-News correspondent Janelle Walker finished my sentence.
Not unless you're Janelle, and you're sitting in Elgin bond call when the accused launches into a rhapsody that starts with, "I WANT MY BOND. WHAT'S MY BOND?" and ends with, "I'm going to pop a cap in your..." uh, matriarch-expletiving expletive. And did I mention he wasn't wearing a shirt at the time? That's what happened when Alex S. Barrera of Elgin (that's him, pictured at right) appeared Friday on theft charges in a video hookup with Judge Bruce Lester.
When I picked up the Saturday police reports documenting Barrera's second trip to bond call, this time on charges of threatening the life of a public official, they named a "Courier-News freelancer" as a witness (the police usually erase the names of the innocent before handing reports out to the papers). After Barrera's threats Friday, the officer filing the report had asked Janelle if he could get some more detail from her, she said.
"Can I just e-mail you my notes?" she asked.
Janelle had been typing the whole time, she said.
"It's what we do every day. So that was funny. ... That's the difference between an eyewitness and a reporter -- we write things down."
That's why I'm taking Janelle's word Barrera had threatened to "pop" the judge's beep-beeping beep. That was how both journalists at bond call quoted him in the police report. Other witnesses had him saying he'd "put a cap in" the judge's blankety blank blank.
And that's yet another reason why we need newspapers: Journalists make the best eyewitnesses. We're trained eyewitnesses. And you'll want us on your side when your lawyer maintains "pop" leaves a lot more wiggle room than "put a cap in."
-- Emily McFarlan, Readers' Reporter
It makes me uncomfortable that the journalist was so eager to share her notes with the police. It seems as though there should be a professional line between a reporter and the people she covers. Her actions make it seem as though she works for the police.
Tom, you raise a great question: When does a reporter give up his or her notes to police? You also may recall this story: "Special grand jury to review Kane coroner's case." Particularly this part: "Sun-Times Media received a letter from appellate prosecutor Charles Colburn last week requesting a Courier-News correspondent make himself and his notes available from a mid-March interview with coroner Chuck West for use as evidence in at least one grand jury hearing scheduled for April."
I think there's definitely a blog post here. I'll talk to reporters and editors more familiar with that second case to see if they wouldn't be willing to answer that question for us on Between the Bylines. Thanks for the great feedback -- and the great ideas! Keep it up, all!
Tom, trust me, I have the same moral/ethical dilemma. I could say "nope, you are more than welcome to subpoena them, I am not giving you my notes, or giving a statement." Honestly, I wasn't typing in every word he was saying, just the REALLY good stuff. But a/ I am a freelancer and really, if I decided to fight it I am not sure that the CN or the Sun-Times would pay for a lawyer and b/ I am also a member of the community and I want to live in a safe community.
I didn't give the police all my notes, just the narrow bit that pertained to this case. This is also different because we are rarely at the scene when crime happens, it is usually us interviewing witnesses after the fact. I would NOT give my notes for a breaking news event where I was interviewing witnesses, too.
And there are several Elgin cops that will tell you that in the past, I have been quite close to "ripping them a new one" for asking to read a story before it runs. It is called ethics. Not gonna happen, not what the public wants or expects from us. And it is a fast way for the cops to torque me off is by even asking that question,