Otterblog

We published two stories this weekend about tragic deaths. The first was a followup to the death of a boy on an ATV. The second was about a man who survived the crash of a small plane where the pilot died.

Writing followup stories about deaths is tricky and painful territory. And they raise questions about what is fair in terms of assigning blame for accidents. In the plane crash, friends of the pilot asked us not to say what the National Transportation Safety Board had reported so far on the cause of the crash (They say it probably ran out of gas.) But we included that information in the story, not just because we could or out of spite, but because it’s a relevant fact and a natural question that any reader would have.

The ATV story raised more difficult questions. Nobody wants their son to die from an ATV accident, but this death was a perfect example of the limits of legislation. As some of you might know, the state passed restrictions on the use of ATVs by minors last year. But the laws are only good if people follow them. So our story wasn’t designed to punish the boy’s family again, but to illustrate the need for vigilance in ATV safety.

On the air: Myself and two other journalists were interviewed Saturday for NPR’s All Things Considered. Here’s the link to the segment. It was a good discussion about politics, the War in Iraq and other topics. Much of my comments reflected the input and feedback I’ve gotten from the Otterblog community. So thank you.