Channel 10 Policy on War Victims Could Veil Truth

In an era of widespread media-bashing, KGTV (Channel 10) is trying hard to be well-liked. According to its warm and fuzzy promotions, it is the station that “Stands for San Diego.” And now that war has broken out, Channel 10 wants to be “Your Homefront Station.”

In an attempt to prove that it is the kinder and gentler option, Channel 10 has adopted a policy that will certainly be popular. It has announced that its reporters will no longer attempt to interview relatives of military personnel killed in the Persian Gulf War. They will go through military channels to talk to relatives who want to talk--and if others come forward, they will gladly talk to them--but they won’t actively seek out the viewpoints of relatives.

On the surface, Channel 10 will win a lot of friends with this announced policy. The news media are often criticized for intrusive reporting, sticking microphones into the faces of victims and asking them, “How do you feel?” Far too often, the criticism is justified by reporters who display the sensitivity of walnuts.

“The one moment that killed my innards was the scene of a military chaplain walking up to tell a family that their boy was dead, and the reporters were right there with him,” said Paul Sands, Channel 10’s news director.

Channel 10 may win the hearts of a few viewers with its new policy, but it sets a dangerous precedent, and, at worst, reeks of the faint odor of hypocrisy.

The station is saying, in effect, that it will only interview certain relatives, usually those brought forth by the military. For example, under the policy, Channel 10 would have joined all the media in covering the emotional statement of Carol Bentzlin, whose husband was one of the first Camp Pendleton Marines to be killed in action.

“Steve loved this country and was proud to serve it,” she said in the written statement, read to the gathered press by a Marine spokeswoman. “He loved what he was doing, and I hope his death contributes in some way to our freedom here.”

Using the new policy, though, Channel 10 may have missed the comments of Bentzlin’s aunt, who had something different to say.

“He’s only 23, and he lost his life. For what? A gallon of gas?” she told a reporter.

That statement certainly was not released through the military.

If Channel 10 editors are trying to say that reporters should display more awareness of the feelings of victims, they have a valid point. However, by making it a stated policy not to go after pictures of tragedy, the very human fallout of the war, Channel 10 is abstaining from an important role of the press.

War is not pretty nor tidy, and it’s not the role of the media to keep the scenes of war palpable for the masses. People should see the real images of war--all the images.

At a time when several media organizations are fighting against government-imposed restrictions--and, apparently, according to polls, against public opinion in favor of those restrictions--to show Americans more about what really is happening in the Middle East, Channel 10 has opted to go in the opposite direction. Instead of railing against sanitizing guidelines, it is imposing some of its own.

Certainly Channel 10, like all news organizations, understands the need to show grief. Just a few months ago, the station was attacked for airing footage of a mother weeping over her dead son, the victim of a hit-and-run driver.

Channel 10 was criticized for lingering on the image, but it rightfully defended the propriety of airing the scene. It is foolhardy for reporters and editors to attempt to decide what impact news will have on their audience. Maybe the tragic scene of the boy would shock people into driving more carefully, just as scenes of grief-ridden relatives may affect people’s attitude toward war, one way or another. Channel 10 seems to be setting different standards for covering tragedy in war and in day-to-day life.

Sands said the difference between the hit-and-run victim and the relatives is that they could photograph the grieving mother from across the street and didn’t have to knock on her door and directly intrude on her privacy. He emphasized that Channel 10 is not avoiding certain perspectives, that it will gladly air the views of relatives with non-military points of view.

“I think people with strong feelings will still have something to say,” said Sands, adding that his attitude was formed, in part, from his experiences growing up in a military family. “All we’re saying is that we don’t need to capitalize on the tears, wallowing in their grief.

“If they want to talk to us, they know where the station is.”

Of course, part of the policy may just be grandstanding. Sands acknowledged that, down the road, there may be situations in which he will find it appropriate to seek out relatives of victims--but only after the “initial pain and shock” has worn off. Stories will be handled on a case-by-case basis, which is generally how most news departments handle these types of stories.

Sands said the policy only means that the station’s reporters won’t bang on the doors of people who have recently lost family members in the war.

“If this happens to you and your family, we’re not going to intrude, and we’re not going to camp out on your front lawn,” he said.

That sensitivity is always appropriate, but a policy of primarily going through military channels leaves the station open to accusations that it is toeing the military line at a time when all the local stations are drawing fire for overt boosterism. Gratuitous stories on people supporting the war effort, station-sponsored pep rallies and slogans like “Your Homefront Station” reinforce the impression that the stations are acting as cheerleaders for the war.

The Channel 10 policy may be well-intentioned, but it only emphasizes the perception, held by many, that the stations are too afraid of coming across as anti-American or insensitive to present all aspects of the war.

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A special screening of “Rouge,” the 1987 film by Stanly Kwan about the ghost of a courtesan searching for her lover in modern Hong Kong, scheduled for Wednesday at 7:20 p.m. at the Ken Cinema, will benefit the San Diego Chinese Center.