TIPS FOR VICTIMS’ FAMILIES SEEKING MEDIA COVERAGE

By: Caroline Lowe

 

No one has seen the impact of heavy media coverage on a case more than Patty Wetterling.

Her 11-year-old son, Jacob, was abducted at gunpoint in 1989 while biking with his younger brother and a friend near his home in rural St. Joseph, Minnesota. Jacob’s remains finally were found in 2016, buried on a farm in nearby Paynesville.

In the almost 30 years Jacob was missing, Patty frequently appeared before the news cameras, especially on anniversaries of Jacob’s abduction or when a new lead became public. His case became big national news.

”Media coverage absolutely helped us solve our case,” Patty said. “ Without continuous coverage, it would not have been solved.”

Patty, who became a nationally recognized child safety advocate, explained why the media are a key to getting answers:

”It’s critical to engage the eyes and ears of the community because it forces law enforcement to sit up and take your file from the bottom of the stack and move it to the top. You have to keep doing something to put your case on top.”

Like a lot of reporters, I became close to the Wetterling family in the decades Jacob was missing. One of the hardest calls I ever made in my career was asking Patty to confirm a report that Jacob’s remains had been found.

When she texted me back, I quickly relayed her quotes to the newsroom, then sobbed for several minutes, overwhelmed by the emotion of this sudden development in a case I had covered for so many years.

But as sad and horrible as that day was, it at least meant the end of a prolonged nightmare for the Wetterling family, who had waited for years for answers, clinging to the hope that Jacob somehow might still be alive.

Terry Rousseau is another victim’s loved one with whom I have worked for many years. He has been seeking justice since his sister Linda was murdered in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1971.

He and his sister Judy already had done a lot of their own digging before reaching out to me in in 2005, when I was covering crime for WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“We’d exhausted all options of getting someone to even take another look at the file “said Terry, whom we interviewed for a story on the murder.

“The media was kind of a last chance to get our story heard and some of the questions answered,” he said.

The news coverage helped generate a fresh look at the case by homicide investigators. But, sadly, it’s still unsolved 15 years after Terry first talked to me.

Terry has refused to give up his search for answers, reaching out again to me on social media in the past year, and to St. Paul police.

“I think the value I find in the news coverage is that it opens up the case to the public’s eye. It brings a new hope that there is someone out there that has the missing pieces to the puzzle and may not know it,” Terry said.

“There are witnesses that come forward that may not have wanted to when the crime was committed or were never questioned about it by investigators…And there is always the chance that the perpetrator of the crime’s conscience may have been haunting him as time passes and seeing it all come back to life is enough to make them come forward.”

As Terry waits for justice, he advises other families to do background checks on reporters before deciding whether to talk to a journalist.

“Read what and how they have approached these stories in the past. A lot of people are trying to make a buck off other people’s misery,“ he said.

Former KARE-11 TV news director Jane Helmke supervised much of her station’s coverage of Jacob Wetterling’s abduction and murder. Her advice to families is to start by reaching out to journalists — to be proactive in their effort to get media coverage.

”Contact the general news desk, for sure, and don’t be afraid to contact a specific reporter who has shown interest. Keep them updated on any leads or progress throughout the search,” Jane said.

Veteran Minnesota photojournalist Ken Peterson agrees: “Find that sympathetic reporter and make sure to get their direct contact point. Developing that relationship early on will pay off as they come to the daily editorial meetings with a daily story ‘peg’.

The family can quickly get the word out to multiple media outlets with just a single mass email or phone calls,” said Ken, who has been with KMSP-TV for more than 33 years.

Josh Benson is a news anchor at WFLA-TV in Tampa, Florida. He also cofounded FindJodi.com, a nonprofit organization I belong to that focuses on the search for television news anchor Jodi Huisentruit. Jodi was abducted on her way to work at KIMT-TV in Mason City, Iowa, on June 27, 1995.

Josh said “marketing” a case is important, as sad as that sounds. Here are his suggestions:

“I would say use social media to your advantage. Follow Facebook pages related to missing persons cases. Then generate a post about your loved one on your profile and make the post public. Then share that post to the Facebook pages (where it’s allowed.)

“Once the post has been online for a few days, it should start to generate comments and reaction from others within the groups. When it comes time to reaching out to the station to ask for coverage, identify who the best reporter would be to approach first. Has the reporter covered similar cases? If so, make that a point in the personal email to that reporter. Make it known how you felt about their coverage about missing persons and mention you have a similar story. Include the link to the post that has the reaction on one of your Facebook pages your post is on.

“And above all else, make yourself and your family available for interviews, images, video, anything that can help the reporter get their job done faster, but also allowing your family’s story to be covered as completely as possible,” Josh said.

Providing photos of a missing loved one to the reporter is key to making an impact, said Tara Manis Benson who has worked as a producer in Miami, Florida, and at several television stations.

“My biggest tip is to provide several pictures showing a missing loved one’s smiling face. People need to connect with the story. Video does wonders, too. Say ‘yes’ to any interviews you can to keep the story going. Start a GoFundMe account to raise funds for a reward, a few days after the initial story airs. Offering a reward is a great way to keep the news cycle going,” Tara said.

Jane Helmke also advised to use social media as a tool. But don’t stop there, she emphasized.

“If a media story is published, be sure to share the story on social media and ask family and friends to do the same. Post your own updates on social media every day and tag both local law enforcement and the media (especially those outlets who are covering the story regularly).”

Jane’s “to-do” list for families also includes:

• Contact all news media in the area where the person went missing (like their hometown if different than the incident location.)
• When reaching out to the media, beside saying that a loved one is missing, provide details that make the case unique. What are the latest developments? Do authorities suspect foul play? Include comments from friends or other community leaders confirming that the disappearance is “unusual.” If possible, get local law enforcement to say, “We’re asking for the public’s help.”
• Be sure the media are aware of any public events related to the disappearance, and be specific about date/time when, for example, the media could cover searches of an area, vigils or volunteers putting up posters.
• Weekends can be an especially good time to both rally help for a search or get media coverage. Keep any news release simple and clear with new information, e.g., who, what, when, where.
• Have contact information for a spokesperson readily available. If you are going to contact the media, they will want someone to speak on the record and on camera. If this is too much for close family members, figure out who can do this for you — a family friend, a law enforcement officer or the police communications team, for example.
• Be consistent in getting correct information out and be willing to confirm and share when the missing person is found (and hopefully safe.)

Patty Wetterling cautioned that if you agree to do an interview, “be careful when a reporter asks a question and there is a pause in the discussion. That’s when a reporter may be trying to get you to say more.”

Patty, who appeared on several network TV shows, recommends victims’ families “ask as many questions as you can think of, including who else will be part of the show or program,” before agreeing to be interviewed.

And, finally, she has this advice for journalists when they are dealing with crime victims’ families: “Treat them as human beings.”

 

KEY TIPS

• Proactively reach out to news organizations and individual reporters
• “Market” your case with photos, videos, flyers and social media posts
• Designate a family contact
• Do your homework on reporters and programs before agreeing to work with them. What is their style of reporting? Do they tend to sensationalize their stories or are they straightforward?
• Be persistent. If one reporter or news organization doesn’t agree to share your story, take it somewhere else.
• Keep the case in the spotlight with social media posts. Many families have created Facebook pages in honor of their loved ones and as a place to post public developments.
• If a news organization makes a factual error in its reports, contact the reporter immediately to ask for a correction. If you can’t reach the reporter, contact an editor or another newsroom manager.
• Keep police investigators advised of pending media reports on the case so they are prepared for any calls they may receive. (In most cases, a reporter will contact them for comment for their stories.)

   

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  As a TV crime reporter for more than 35 years, I was most passionate covering unsolved murders and missing persons cases, helping to find justice for victims and answers for their loved ones. These are the crimes that stay with you, the “unfinished business” that nag at you for resolution.

  I still keep in touch with some of the victims’ families, wishing I could do more to get answers. I have many of the victims’ photos on my office wall at home, a daily reminder to keep digging.

  I covered many cases as they were breaking and fresh in the news. Others, however, later were brought to my attention by police investigators who hoped renewed media coverage might help generate much-needed leads in stalled investigations.

  Given my background, I often am asked by victims’ families how they can keep their cases from fading from the spot- light, or how they can get coverage for lower profile cases. Most recently, I heard from a Minnesota victim’s parents who wanted to know the pros and cons of participating in a network true crime show focusing on their daughter’s murder. They were hesitant to personally thrust themselves into the spotlight, while still hoping the show might provide a break in their case.

  To help provide answers, I reached out to several veteran journalists for tips. I also sought feedback from victims’ relatives with whom I have worked. I hope this article, incorporating their ideas and my own experiences, will provide guidance for survivors as they explore ways to get media attention.

   

  Bio – Caroline Lowe

  Veteran crime reporter Caroline Lowe joined the FindJodi.com team in 2011, after leaving her 34-year career at WCCO-TV in the Twin Cities to become KSBY-TV’s Santa Barbara County, California, newsroom manager.

  Lowe returned to her roots as a reporter in 2015 when she did two investigative series on missing persons and unidentified human remains for KSBY. As part of the investigation, Lowe created the most comprehensive database of missing persons on the California Central Coast.

  In 2015, she also began working special assignment for KARE 11-TV in Minnesota on the Jacob Wetterling abduction case.

  Lowe has an extensive background covering cold cases. She has filed numerous reports regarding the disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit and the abduction of Jacob Wetterling. While at WCCO, her I-Team reports garnered national attention. Her work has appeared on 20/20, Oprah, Court TV and Forensic Files.

  Lowe’s decision to join FindJodi.com came from her dedication to missing persons and cold cases, along with her persistence in never giving up finding the truth.

  Lowe graduated with a B.S. in Law Enforcement from Metropolitan State University and earned a Master’s Degree in Police Leadership from the University of St. Thomas.

  In addition to being a reporter, Lowe has private investigator license in California. She spent two weeks for eight summers as a patrol officer at the Minnesota State Fair and graduated in 2010 from the FBI Citizen’s Academy in Minneapolis.

  Lowe recently became a Petaluma Police Department volunteer where she plans to focus on crime prevention education.

  Lowe is a 2013 graduate of the Poynter Institute’s Leadership Academy.

  Lowe is an award-winning journalist. She’s received the Alfred I. DuPont Columbia Award, two Regional Emmy awards, a Sweepstake Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, two Associated Press awards and a UPI award. Her investigation on Tony Jackson, a convicted rapist, earned her a Minnesota Associated Press Broadcasters Award for Best Documentary/Investigative work.