Editorial: Accident was newsworthy

We've had phone calls from a handful of people about our use of the photo and page one coverage of last week's fatal Mitkof Highway crash. It saddens us to have to report on such a tragedy that impacts the lives of so many in both Wrangell and Petersburg.

We don't take pleasure in covering such stories. It wasn't covered to sell newspapers. We covered the story because it is our job to provide information about a tragic event that struck close to home. We placed it on page one because it was the most important story of the week.

The accident was covered for one reason - it was newsworthy.

What makes it newsworthy?

The severity of the accident alone gave it news value. The fact that it resulted in the death of four individuals who were crewmembers aboard a local boat added to the public interest.

The story involved local people driving on a local road. The more local the incident, the more impact it has on readers.

Publication of the story also serves to reduce rumors. Already this week the sister of Ian Martin reports, "There have been many extremely vicious allegations against my brother in the past week that he was the driver of the vehicle." She requested that new information on the driver be followed up and reported.

Part of the story showed the difficult work of our first responders. Their work to remove the victims from the crash site was truly heroic, given the severity of the crash and its location at the bottom of a steep slope. The list of persons that assisted State Troopers continues to expand.

Finally, the photo alone demonstrated the severity of the crash, in a way that words could not. It was not what we considered a sensational image. We hope the story and image will serve as a teachable moment for many. The involvement of alcohol as contributing to the cause of the crash will be a factor as the investigation continues.

Very likely, coverage will be ongoing as new information comes to light. We will cover the stories with compassion while providing comprehensive and complete reporting. Despite criticism, we cannot side step our responsibly as a professional news gathering organization of both communities.