accident on 30A today?

[Here4Good]

wouldn't it be grayt if the Sheriff posted his news releases on Sowal.....

Or, if the local paper picked up the phone and asked the SO what happened (I know that asking them to physically go the the SO to ask for an incident report is waaay too much to ask)?

I want info too, but I don't think it's the SO's job to disseminate this kind of info - I want them to let us know when there is something that could pose a danger to the general public, but as far as reporting on things that happened, that's what a newspaper is supposed to do.

The headline on the NWFDN today was that lots of people came to the beach for the 4th of July. Wow, there's some digging.

 

[GoodWitch58]

don't disagree, but the SO does have a Public Affairs person and they do send out press releases to the media. I am just suggesting that when they do, they could consider Sowal as a local media source and copy Kurt, or post on the board.

 

[NotDeadYet]

The SO saw fit to issue a press release when Mary Brady was arrested.
Wonder what criteria they use when deciding whether or not a press release will be issued?

 

[Here4Good]

OK, I'll buy that. I didn't know they had issued a press release on that incident.

Interesting, indeed.

 

[GoodWitch58]

The SO saw fit to issue a press release when Mary Brady was arrested.
Wonder what criteria they use when deciding whether or not a press release will be issued?

It is a good question. I continue to be amazed at how various local government entities choose to issue news releases.

Most law enforcement offices have Public Affairs staff--here, I think it is just one person, and maybe that is an additional duty--however, much can be gained IMO from a government office that pro-actively works with the media and members of the community to get the word out about their activities. We are hampered by not having a very active media community in Walton County, but IMO it could be better if there was more pro-action on the part of both the agencies and the media.

I would be real interested to see what the criteria is for any Walton County government agency to issue a news release. Walton County has a Public Affairs officer too.

 

[Susan Horn]

I'm wondering if anyone in this conversation about news reporting happened to catch Ted Koppel on NPR yesterday afternoon (I forget which program). It was all about local/national media and their respective roles, how news coverage has changed in the last 30-40 years and so on.

Made me feel better and not so crazy to hear Ted Koppel express similar frustrations to my own: why are "local" papers (except DeFuniak Herald/Breeze) running national/international wire stories instead of covering substantive local news? Why are national media giving so much air time/space to gossip, fluff and screeching punditry rather than serious reporting of actual newsworthy stories?) Of course it comes down to ratings and money, and the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine a decade or two ago...

Then last night on our new Roku (instant viewing of Netflix), we watched Gonzo -- a documentary about Hunter S. Thompson. I had read his writings in my youth but that was a long tme ago! I did not then recognize what a brilliant visionary he was. A jerk, drug addict, philanderer and a lot of other bad stuff, but all that aside, one of the best journalists America has ever produced. He saw and wrote piercingly about all those trends that have brought us to the mess we're in today long before most others.

 

[Lake View Too]

Hunter S. Thompson was all those things you said and IMO a national treasure. As to the lack of local news from anywhere but here (SOWAL) that is disturbing. I has yet to hear anything from any news source about a fairly serious incident on 30-A. I don't know if it's feasible, but maybe we could start a forum simply called something like "the people's news" that involved no commentary or opinion ( I know that's kind of hard for some of us.) Just thinking out loud.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

This case was taken over by FHP. They have ten days to submit their report. The SO only did dispatch on this and their information is too limited to do an actual write-up on the incident that would be factual and fair.

 

[Here4Good]

This case was taken over by FHP. They have ten days to submit their report. The SO only did dispatch on this and their information is too limited to do an actual write-up on the incident that would be factual and fair.

Thanks - I need to change my daily newspaper to your paper. The NWFDN doesn't report anything until two months after the fact.

Wonder why it was taken over by the FHP? Any clues? I thought they only worked fatalities or cases where one of those involved was an LEO, or maybe when it happens on the interstate.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

Thanks - I need to change my daily newspaper to your paper. The NWFDN doesn't report anything until two months after the fact.

Wonder why it was taken over by the FHP? Any clues? I thought they only worked fatalities or cases where one of those involved was an LEO, or maybe when it happens on the interstate.

I can't confirm this, but I have heard that it is operating procedure now for the FHP to work traffic accidents and not the SO. I will look into it and see if I can get an answer.