Lessons from the beat: how crime reporting taught me empathy, resilience, and the power of words
- Jessica S
- Mar 19
- 4 min read
Features and crime stories that stuck with me and challenged me to become a better human
I spent three years covering harrowing tales of crime in a county that always seems to get a black eye when one considers economic factors and the crime rate. But, this county is my home. And these people that live in the county are honestly some of the best people God put on planet earth.
I always get the “it must have been the coolest job ever” comment from people when I tell them I used to cover crime as a reporter. However, it couldn’t have felt further from the true emotions I kept unacknowledged, hidden, pushed down and bottled up. I want to preface this blog further with the fact that I lived most of my time as a crime reporter dealing with post traumatic stress from what I’d seen, heard and covered. I could not watch crime documentaries and I had trouble compartmentalizing work and life. When I went to stores alone, I constantly looked over my shoulder with this fear that I too may become a headline. But the truth is, as I’ve seen, most of our crimes I covered always had common links and back stories. Even though mostly, the crime I covered was not believed to be random acts of violence, I carried the weight of those incidents with a very real fear and I really was deeply impacted by the very circumstances behind those stories and the victims and their families whose lives were changed forever.
Lending empathy and a listening ear is essential. Empathy and the value of listening were at the top of the list of lessons learned.
I have sat with a mother who was angry, hurt and devastated after losing a child in a tragic accident involving a gun. She expressed how she felt through tears and how desperately she wanted justice and her baby back. As I listened with watery eyes, I understood that more than anything in that moment she needed a friend who heard her and offered nothing but empathy and a listening ear.
Father charged in accidental gun death
Sometimes showing up as an instrument of peace and comfort trumps getting all the answers for a good story. I learned to see the person first and sit with them where they are. No questions.
I sat with a grieving widow and her family on one of the worst days of her life. I didn’t know her but I knew it was important to bring peace and comfort as I sat with her in her grief.
Murder rocks local community
Thankfully I also covered some bright feature stories that were pretty memorable. I think of these stories and people in them (sources) from time to time. And I wonder too if I made as great of an impression on them as they have on me.
Selflessness is rewarding. And saying thank you when you can is so important.
This story is about a local longtime journalist I’m blessed to call a friend. He suffered a heart attack while trying to help someone who had just been involved in a wreck. This is the story he invited me to tell as he received the joy rarely felt by patients as he told good samaritans and local first responders ‘thank you.’ This story and the impact of a nice hug was displayed on the front page of our paper. It changed my life and filled me with pride. I finally understood telling a story through photos and what an opportunity to witness that joy.
Good samaritan gives his thanks
I learned to be persistent and respectful and the value of holding people accountable. I also learned the power of the media.
This one was about a washed out road and one resident’s frustration with lack of response from government officials and FEMA. I recently caught up with him because it’s one of those stories that really sticks with you. He’s doing fine and he had to actually pay for a lot of work including paving a road leading to his yard. This was one of my first serious stories and surprisingly I did a pretty good job asking questions looking back.
No workaround for washed out road
When you give good, you get it right back.
I was so impacted and impressed by the way a community rallied around and injured firefighter and gave him a royal escort home after an extended time in the hospital. I will never forget watching those emergency vehicles go by.
Firefighter receives warm welcome home
When you care about people they know it and it makes all the difference.
I had the honor of writing about a WWII solder’s return home after his family was told he had been lost in the war. They were such wonderful people. I enjoyed them and I will never forget the reverence of residents nearby as they sat on their porches, pulled over and even some men took their hats off and placed them over their hearts. The funeral was the first time I witnessed a 21 gun salute and it brought me to tears. I truly felt like family and hugging the soldier’s relatives in person was so special.
War hero returns home
All I’ve wanted since middle school was to write stories and I guess I have in my six year career in communications as a journalist and then a PR practitioner. The good ones, bad ones, the greatly written ones and the bad mistakes made all left me better somehow.
I remember them deeply and now more fondly. And what’s more than the stories I’ve shared are all the beautiful lessons learned, stories made and ones still left to be lived by yours truly.
Words truly can heal, they have healed me time and time again. I pray these have somehow helped you in your journey too.
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