Summer Media Internship

After reading the article and several different people’s perspectives on it, there are a couple of different things to consider. First and foremost, this post, written by Corey Kilgannon, was for a blog. As journalism becomes more and more digitally based, the lines that separate “real” journalism and what constitutes a blog (or as most people think of it, opinionated, colorful stories with large aspects of factual information) will slowly disintegrate.
In my opinion, a family will be sensitive about what a reporter says regarding the recently deceased pretty much no matter what. For an opinionated blog, it’s best to just say what you want to say. Furthermore, I don’t think Kilgannon was trying to attack the jazz artist, Hank Jones, at all. I felt that he wrote this post out of respect for a legend, and tried to show his other fans what he might have been like in his final days.
On the other hand, I wonder if this post have been so controversial had the blog not been written by a NY Times reporter (and I am assuming for the NY Times blog page). When you are already affiliated with a news source that prides itself on being such a strong force in journalism, anything you write will be expected to adhere to the same strict standards. As a journalist, perhaps you forfeit your right to write off of opinion, even if it is for a blog.
The other aspect that must be taken into consideration is that Kilgannon did not break into Jones’ apartment. He was let in by the landlord, Manny Ramirez. I’ve noticed a few different people in this class put a lot of blame on Kilgannon for not asking permission from the family to enter the apartment. In reality, no journalist wants more blockades to creating a story. If a police officer let me pass through yellow tape, I would not ask “are you sure, officer?” Kilgannon was offered an exclusive window into Jones’ life in a creative way that is certainly indicative of the NY Times’ style. No, it is not enough to make assumptions about his entire life and perhaps saying that he was reclusive was a bit far-fetched. And yes, he probably ought to have shared what he had found with the family before it ran to print. But I do not believe that Kilgannon is at fault for entering the apartment and starting to take notes without asking the family first. If people want to point the finger at someone, it should be Ramirez.