The National Association of Black Journalists hosted the second annual Police and Media Panel discussion at Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix campus on Tuesday.
Tackling issues of police brutality, media accuracy, and more, the diverse panel of police officers and journalists had an open dialogue to tackle the hard issues facing both sides.
One of the biggest issues the panel highlighted was police brutality toward African Americans and how the media covers it.
“We see a video of somebody getting slammed against a police car,” said Jamar Younger, President of the Arizona NABJ. “It is something tangible that we can see.”
Younger said that poverty, unemployment and other issues African American communities face are not as easy for the rest of the world to see.
“I think it is just a part of a bigger frustration our communities have faced for generations,” he said of the intensity of media coverage on police brutality.
Tempe Police Department Assistant Chief Michael Pooley took responsibility for the department’s issues with police brutality.
“There are incidents, absolutely, where the officers may overreact,” Pooley said. “Those 100% should be reported and investigated by us.”
Although the panel unanimously agreed on the importance of police brutality coverage, some in the panel had their own ideas on how to improve things.
“There are other issues we could focus on that we could try to uplift our people,” said Tremaine Jasper, owner of the Phoenix Souls website and moderator of the event.
NABJ President Younger warned against journalists reacting to events with an agenda.
“We can’t ride the wave of emotion,” he said. “Journalists have to remember they are journalists, not activists.”
When the media needs information on breaking news, often the first person they contact will be a public information officer (PIO). How fast the media needs information can be difficult at times for PIOs like Natalie Barela of the Phoenix Police Department, as she said it sacrifices accuracy.
Barela spoke about a 2019 incident between the Tempe Police and Starbucks saying, “Trying to get the correct narrative out is really hard, because it had literally went viral everywhere.”
She said the story turned into a mess in the media, with inaccurate stories abound. A lot of times, the Phoenix Police Department investigations involve victims, families and children whose information is not available to share. The panel agreed that these actions are often to protect the victims and their families.
The journalists of the panel acknowledged and respected the need for victims’ privacy.
“There is a level of sensitivity with this job,” Younger said. “Sometimes it may not show… but there is definitely some respect there.”
The journalists acknowledged they were simply reporting the facts when reporting on police.
“Our process is just shining a light on police relationships whether they are good or bad,” said Kailey Latham, a producer at ABC15. “Holding the powerful accountable, but holding ourselves accountable as well.”
Contact the reporter at rkbuss@asu.edu.
