Decisions on how we cover tragedies are never easy

It feels like our community has been rocked by tragedy almost on a weekly basis recently.

When these tragedies happen, our newsroom has difficult decisions to make about what to report and how.

We get questioned often about why we make the decisions that we do, and we want to be open and honest about our process.

There is no one size fits all answer to this question, because so many situations are unique.

But we start with the goal of keeping our communities informed about both the good and bad happening around us. We try to act with empathy for those who are impacted by these events, but also with fairness to each family.

Every family deserves the same respect, sympathy and support from their community. We grieve with them for their lost sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, and sometimes these individuals are among our own friends and neighbors.

But we also believe in replacing rumors with facts and that conversation promotes healing and change, when change is needed.

Silence is rarely as quiet as you might think. It’s full of whispers and innuendo. It also lets wounds fester instead of heal.

That’s why we sometimes have to make the difficult decision to move forward with a story, even when doing nothing may seem like an easier choice.

But we can also promise you won’t see a gleaming cartoon knife next to a story about a stabbing that ended in one death and we won’t treat one family better than another based on their connections.

Southeast Missouri is our home too, and we promise none of these are decisions that we take lightly.