In the wake of last week's drug busts at TCU, the institutions involved are getting a great deal of scrutiny. Did TCU blow things out of proportion? Were the Fort Worth police more interested in headlines than justice? Were the media irresponsible?
I'll leave the answers to the first two to the experts and our columnists. As for "the media," I can speak only to the actions of our newsroom. I was the editor supervising the initial coverage, so I'll answer for the decisions we made.Upon reflection, I've come to a couple of conclusions:1. I wish we had done a better of job of emphasizing the relatively small-time dealing outlined in the arrest warrant affidavits. TCU and Fort Worth police appeared to describe something more sinister. Our follow-up coverage made that point, but we needed a headline to that effect on Day One.2. All in all, our work was comprehensive and fair. Whatever your stance on drugs, or TCU, or police, this was a big story in Fort Worth, and we examined it from every angle. In today's media world, that kind of depth and reasoned analysis is too often missing from coverage of events, and I'm proud of our newsroom for taking the time to provide it.Here are three things that affected my decision-making as the story unfolded Wednesday:1. Default position = Publish."Old media's" role as gatekeeper is long gone. When police release information from a drug sting, you can bet it will be all over the Internet in minutes, no matter what a single media entity decides to do. People can examine the same data we have and make up their own minds.Some have questioned whether we should have published the photographs of those arrested. It's a fair question. In the end, people want to see the faces of the accused, and when we have photos, we publish them, unless extraordinary circumstances are involved.2. Unusual transparency set the initial tone.TCU's news conference was, frankly, shocking. Neither TCU nor Fort Worth police has a reputation for openness. The fact that they spoke publicly indicated that this must be big.Chancellor Victor J. Boschini Jr. started things off by saying: "Today's events have changed the life of everybody at TCU." From there, TCU Police Chief Steven McGee said, "There is no doubt, all those arrested today are drug dealers." McGee listed the drugs that were allegedly sold to undercover officers: Acid, Ecstasy, marijuana, cocaine, several kinds of prescription drugs. Fort Worth police said there could be more arrests.It took us a while to understand that the 19 affidavits -- which weren't released until an hour after the news conference -- didn't exactly paint a picture of a drug cartel. By then, police and TCU had stopped answering questions. Still, it was at this point that we should have written about affidavits that didn't seem to match the tone of the presser.3. The sworn affidavits were explosive.Statements in the affidavits were stunning. Football players telling undercover officers that dozens of their teammates had failed a drug test. Drug deals going down on Bellaire Drive South and at oft-visited public locations: Kroger, a Shell station, Hooter's, near the intramural fields. A surprise drug test on National Signing Day. Like it or not, TCU is held up as a paragon of virtue. The details of what allegedly went down were out of sync with the carefully cultivated public image. All of that influenced our assessment of how big this story was to Fort Worth.Kathy Vetter is managing editor/digital and breaking news for the Star-Telegram. Follow her on Twitter, @30bike.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
