Many readers have no doubt heard about newly-elected Montana governor Greg Gianfonte “body slamming” a reporter from UK-based news organization The Guardian.
Regardless of where individual opinions lie with what happened, one thing we can all agree on is we’re living in a very peculiar moment in American history where the people tasked with reporting on events are eyed with an incredible amount of suspicion.
We do think Gianfonte is in the wrong for using physical violence on the reporter as there isn’t a situation that would call for that kind of response from a political hopeful. The reporter may have broken established protocol when approaching Gianfonte at that moment and may have come across as pushy towards him, but the response was still unjustified.
Journalism as a profession is often ranked similarly to lawyers in regards to least trusted professions and the image of a “stereotypical reporter” willing to do anything to get the story is one that has persisted for decades. But, that image does not and should not apply to all journalists, especially those working at small-town newspapers throughout Wyoming and the nation.
The term “parachute journalist” refers to reporters from large organizations who travel to a location where major news is happening, getting a story and quickly leaving and traveling to their next assignment. A perfect example of this is the article “In a Red State Rolling in Green, a Relaxed Attitude” that was published by the New York Times Oct. 4, 2008. A reporter traveling across the county covering the presidential election had stopped at the Astro Lounge in Rock Springs and wrote about the then-booming oil and gas economy and the riches many workers had come into as a result. A few comments from a worker enjoying the company offered at the Astro Lounge and some information about the state economic boom resulted in an article that only explored one small segment of a larger story and left the impression of Rock Springs being a wild place.
These are not the kinds of journalists who our readers may run into at church, at Green River High School or the grocery store and they certainly wouldn’t be accountable to the residents of a town they stop in.
Those working at small-town newspapers are accountable to their readers when an error is made or a concern is raised about an article. We’re the people you’ll see around town during our off hours. We genuinely love the community and enjoy being a part of it through the Green River Star. That’s a lot more than anyone flying in for a story will give our community.
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