By Patrick Sloan-Turner

No class can prepare you to cover a potentially dangerous scenario like a mass shooting that includes hundreds of officers and first responders, lives lost and immeasurable trauma. Handling a delicate situation like this requires tools that are only gained through on-the-job experience.

A reporter must obtain the necessary information regarding a developing story, while also letting first responders do their jobs. Hearing first-hand accounts of what has transpired is crucial, but so is showing respect to bystanders who witnessed what happened.

Former Chicago Tribune reporter Annie Sweeney knows this challenge all too well.

In what she calls the “most consequential” pieces of reporting she’s ever done, Sweeney was on the ground immediately following the July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.

“There is a sense of, you do not want to miss the opportunity to fully absorb what’s going on,” Sweeny said. “And, importantly, not miss an opportunity to know how to follow up or connect with someone later.”

While it’s nothing like what happened in Highland Park last year, in October, I covered a breaking news scenario on the ground for the first time. Last fall, I rushed to the scene when a DePaul University student barricaded themselves in their dorm room at McCabe Hall.

I was hearing rumors that the student was threatening self-harm and rumors that they had a weapon. Other residents of the hall were gathered outside, barred from entering as a SWAT team made its way inside. Students were visibly frightened, and I couldn’t help but wonder if and how I should approach them.

Sweeney said she’s learned that while a reporter may want to hear witnesses’ accounts right away, it’s often better to make contact and give them a chance to speak in the future.

“That’s the that’s a balancing you do,” Sweeney said. “You’re saying, ‘I don’t want to miss this, I can see that this person is here and was involved and therefore might be a good source later to talk to, but I’m not going to ask them to be interviewed unless I feel like it’s an okay thing to do.’”

With other Tribune reporters, Sweeney initially reported what happened on the day of the event. In following up the story, she shifted to the role of state gun laws and how they played a part in the shooting, publishing that piece the next day.

Not until weeks and months later did Sweeney focus on the stories of those who were there that day and were directly traumatized by what took place. Sweeney said that she tries to approach victims delicately and thoughtfully, giving them space to only be a part of the story if they choose to be.

“You’re a total stranger to them, right?” Sweeney said. “It’s tough to invade somebody’s space right then and there and say, I’d like to include you in this story.”

Over the years, Sweeney said she learned some nuance in handling these conversations that allow her to show respect, while also leaving things open telling these people’s stories if they’re comfortable sharing.

“The longer I did it, [I] came to understand better ways,” she said. “You tell them, ‘Can I tell you we’re doing a story about this, and I want to be sure you have an opportunity to be part of it with whatever you’re thinking and feeling right now because I want it to be accurate.’”

In my story at McCabe Hall, I elected not to speak to these students on the record right away. In all honesty, I only refrained from speaking to them because I felt unprepared to. Going forward, I’ll remember the Sweeney method, and give them my contact information and the option of speaking to me later.

There are two types of sources we speak to: those who are seasoned veterans at speaking with reporters – like elected officials and public figures – and those who aren’t. When we’re speaking with people who likely have never been interviewed before, it’s important to remember the power we have.

The story of those directly affected by a traumatic event is important, but it is not more important than respecting the pain they’re feeling.

Give them space, and maybe, they’ll give their story.

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