TO YOU.

>>> THANKS VERY MUCH.

>>> FOLLOWING UP ON THE CONCERNS, IS VIOLENT CRIME OUT OF CONTROL OR ARE MEDIA OUTLETS DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTING OUR PERCEPTION OF IT?

WE EXPLORE HOW THE MEDIA COVERS CRIME AND VIOLENCE.

COFOUNDER AND PUBLISHER OF THE TRIBE, THE DIGITAL MEDIA PLATFORM, REPORTED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF BLACK CHICAGOANS.

CHARLES WHITAKER, A PROFESSOR AND CBS TO ANCHOR AND REPORTER FOR THE SENSOR FOR ILLINOIS POLITICS WEBSITE.

THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.

IT IS GREAT TO SEE ALL OF YOU.

SO, STARTING WITH YOU, CHARLES, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LOCAL TV NEWS, LOCAL NEWSPAPERS, NATIONAL NEWS, ARE THEY GIVING AN ACCURATE PORTRAYAL OF VIOLENT CRIME IN CHICAGO OR ARE THEY JUST DISTORTING THE PICTURE?

WHAT IS GOING ON?

>> I DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE DISTORTING IT BUT AS WAS SAID IN THE EARLIER PIECE, THEY ARE NOT PROVIDING IT IN CONTEXT.

WE ARE STILL PRISONERS TO OUR CONVENTIONS OF STORYTELLING.

WE ARE ALSO TRAPPED BY THE CONSTRAINTS OF THE NEWSCAST WHICH DOES NOT ALLOW US TO PROVIDE THE CONTEXT.

THE ABILITY TO EXPLORE HOW AND WHY WE HAVE WHAT WE HAVE.

I DON'T KNOW IF WE ARE NECESSARILY HYPING THE VIOLENCE, THE VIOLENCE IS THERE , BUT WE ARE NOT PROVIDING A FULL PICTURE.

>> YOU SPENT MANY MANY YEARS IN THE NEWSROOM TALKING ABOUT THE INDUSTRY, FOCUSING ON VIOLENT CRIMES, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW THAT IS IMPACTING THE PUBLIC'S PERCEPTION OF SAFETY IN CHICAGO?

>> IF YOU TAKE A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, IT SHINE SOME LIGHT ON THIS.

YOU KNOW, THERE WAS CERTAINLY AN INCREASE IN CRIME DURING THE GEORGE FLOYD UPRISING AND DURING THE PANDEMIC.

THAT WAS REAL.

BUT, THE CRIME IS OUT OF CONTROL NARRATIVE IS SKEWED.

MOST PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, CHICAGO HAS A RECORD NUMBER OF MURDERS DURING MAYOR DALEY ONE, THE 1974 AND MAYOR DALEY TWO, IN 1992.

NO ONE WAS SAYING CRIME IS OUT OF CONTROL THEN.

WE HAVE A SHARPER LENS.

BY THE WAY, DURING THOSE TWO YEARS, SOMETHING LIKE 200 MORE PEOPLE WERE MURDERED IN CHICAGO.

>> IT WAS APPROACHING 1000.

>> SO, IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT.

IT STARTED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC AND IT WAS LED BY THE NEWSPAPER.

THE TRIBUNE STARTED, IN PARTICULAR, -- STARTED RECORDING WEEKEND MURDER TALLIES AND WEEKLY MURDER TALLIES.

IN A WAY, THEY HAD US ALL FOOLED.

THAT INCREASED PEOPLE'S PERCEPTION THAT CRIME WAS DEFINITELY A BIGGER PROBLEM THAN IT WAS.

>> IT DOES NOT SEEM LIKE AN EDITORIAL SHIFT TO START FOCUSING ON INDIVIDUAL CRIME LIKE THAT.

MORGAN ELISE JOHNSON, SPEAKING OF WHAT DEREK SAID, THERE IS A TRIP OP-ED THAT SITES THAT VIOLENT CRIME BEFORE THE PANDEMIC WAS ABOUT ONE THIRD OF WHAT IT WAS IN THE 90s.

AGAIN, THIS PERCEPTION, THE SKEWED PERCEPTION, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE AT THE CENTER OF THIS?

>> WELL, I WOULD SAY THAT THE NEWS MEDIA DOES A LOT TO SHAPE THE ATTITUDES AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF CRIME AND EVEN -- THE MEDIA HAS A ROLE IN DEFINING WHAT CRIME IS, RIGHT?

SHOOTINGS, HOMICIDES, THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS THAT PEOPLE BREAK THE LAW, RIGHT?

THOSE TYPES OF CRIMES AFFECT A CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHIC OF PEOPLE AND THAT ALSO HELPS TO SHAPE WHAT WE THINK AS PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES AND WHAT ARE SOCIETAL PRIORITY SHOULD BE.

THE MEDIA HAS A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY IN CHOOSING THE STORIES THAT WE SEE, THAT THEY'RE NOT REALLY TAKING THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR.

>> CHARLES, HOW COULD A LOCAL TV NEWSCAST DO A BETTER JOB AT PROVIDING CONTEXT AND NOT JUST REPORTING ON INDIVIDUAL CRIMES?

>> TO HAVE THE COURAGE OR CONVICTION TO DO JUST THAT.

ACTUALLY HAVE MOMENTS IN TIME WHERE WE WILL TAKE A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE , AS DEREK SAID, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE MURDER RATE WAS HIGHER THAN IT IS NOW.

WE NEED THAT PERSPECTIVE TODAY.

AS MORGAN SAID, WE NEED TO GET A LOOK AT CRIME HOLISTICALLY AND NOT JUST SENSATIONAL CRIMES THAT LEAD US ALL TO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE LIVING IN THIS DYSTOPIAN .

>> ALL YOUR YEARS IN LOCAL TV, WERE YOU EVER FRUSTRATED WITH MANAGEMENT IN TERMS OF WHAT THEIR APPROACH WAS TO COVER THE CRIME AND THE CONSTANT SPOT REPORTING?

>> WELL, I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I HAD TO KNOCK ON THE DOOR OF THE FAMILY OF A MURDER VICTIM.

THAT IS NOT PLEASANT.

TO TRY TO TALK TO THEM, WHAT I TRIED TO DO WAS TO CONVINCE THEM THAT I WAS GOING TO TELL A STORY OF THE PERSON IN THEIR FAMILY HAD BEEN LOST.

THE INTEGRITY AND THE SENSITIVITY.

TO MAKE THEM INTO HUMAN BEING, NOT A STATISTIC.

WHAT NEWSROOMS NEED TO DO IS FOCUS ON FEWER CRIMES AND MORE INTENTIONALLY DECIDE WHAT THEY COVER.

THEY HAVE TO ASK THEMSELVES THE QUESTION, WHAT LIGHT IS IS GOING TO SHINE ON THE GREATER PROBLEM?

THIS PARTICULAR CRIME, REPORTING ON THIS PARTICULAR CRIME, THERE HAVE BEEN, I MEAN, SOME IMPROVEMENTS.

THERE IS LESS USE OF MUG SHOTS AND LOW-LEVEL CRIMES.

>> ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNGER OFFENDERS.

>> EXACTLY.

ANOTHER IMPROVEMENT THAT CAN BE MADE IS, IN SOME PLACES, NEWSROOMS ARE COMMITTING TO COVER A CRIME FROM BEGINNING TO END.

IF THEY MAKE A DECISION AT THE BEGINNING TO COVER IT THEN THEY COVER IT THROUGH THE TRIAL AND THE PROCESS.

THAT IS A BIG COMMITMENT.

IT CAN BE A LONG PROCESS.

ESPECIALLY IN COOK COUNTY WHERE MURDER TRIALS DRAG ON FOR YEARS.

BUT, IF YOU DO NOT DO THAT, IF THERE IS AN ACQUITTAL, IF A CONVICTION IS OVERTURNED, THEN THE PERSON WHO HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A SUSPECT NEVER ULTIMATELY GET THEIR STORY TOLD EITHER IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW THE CASE.

>> THAT COULD IMPACT THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE SAID BEFORE IS THAT YOU BELIEVE LOCAL MEDIA RUNS WITH THE POLICE NARRATIVE OF THINGS WHEN IT COMES TO CRIMES.

CAN YOU EXPAND ON THAT?

THIS WAS A BIG ISSUE THAT CAME UP IN THE McDONALD CASE.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

BREAKING NEWS REPORTING RELIES HEAVILY ON POLICE FOR THE NARRATIVE.

WE GET THE PRESS REALLY FROM THE POLICE OR WE ATTEND A CONFERENCE AND WE REGURGITATE THE INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC.

THE CPD VIOLATED THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF BLACK RESIDENTS.

SO, HOW CAN WE SAY THAT NEW STORYTELLING IS IMPARTIAL IF WE ARE RELYING SO HEAVILY ON AN ANTI-BLACK INSTITUTION?

>> IN THE McDONALD CASE, A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS HAD TO TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR BECAUSE THE POLICE WOULD OFFER A SPOKESPERSON ON THE SCENE AND A LOT OF TIMES MEDIA WOULD RUN WITH THE FACT THAT THEY PROVIDED.

THAT SOMETHING THAT THE NEWS MEDIA HAS BEEN WORKING ON.

CHARLES WHITAKER, YOU HEARD YOUNG PEOPLE SAY THEY DON'T WATCH THE NEWS.

HOW TO CHANGE THAT?

>> AGAIN, WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS.

IT IS A CRISIS FOR US TO LOSE THIS GENERATION OF PEOPLE WHO SAY THAT THEY ARE TURNING OFF AND TUNING OUT THE NEWS.

THAT MEANS THEY ARE NOT HEARING A LOT OF VITAL INFORMATION BECAUSE THEY ARE SO TURNED OFF THE DEPICTIONS OF THEMSELVES THAT THEY ARE SEEING.

WE HAVE GOT TO DO A BETTER JOB.

WE HAVE TO WORK TO CHANGE THE NARRATIVE.

>> AND LOCAL TV NEWS COVER CRIME IN THE TALK -- THE CONTEXT OF TRENDS?

LIKE YOU SET , THIS WAS A VIOLENT WEEKEND BUT LET'S PUT IT IN THE CONTEXT OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE '90s OR TO THOUSANDS.

CAN THEY MAKE A CHOICE TO COVER IT LIKE THAT?

>> IT HAS TO BE AN INTENTIONAL CHOICE WITH THE RULES AND GUIDELINES AND DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE IN THE MORNING MEETING OF UNDERSTANDING THAT THOSE DECISIONS ARE GOING TO HAVE A LONGER EFFECT.

SOME STATIONS HAVE MADE THAT COMMITMENT.

IT IS A TOUGH CHOICE BECAUSE IT MEANS COMMITTING RESOURCES WHEN YOU FIRST DECIDE TO COVER A CRIME.

>> WHAT ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT THIS KIND OF COVERAGE HAS ON VICTIMS OF CRIME IN CHICAGO.

HOW ABOUT THAT?

>> WHEN WE FIRST STARTED, WE DID NOT HAVE ANY RESOURCES AND WE SIGNED UP FOR BEING ALERT AND IT WENT OFF SO FREQUENTLY THAT WE GOT OVERWHELMED AND I QUICKLY KNEW THAT WE DID NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO COVER IT.

I WANT AUDIENCES TO KNOW THAT NEWS DIRECTORS MAKE DECISIONS.

THEY ARE DECISIONS BASED ON RESOURCES, TIME, AND YOUR PRIORITIES.

I'M NOT PROUD OF THAT BUT WE NEED TO SAY, WHY DO YOU HAVE THE RESOURCES TO COVER EVERY SINGLE SHOOTING BUT NOT EVERYTHING ELSE.

WE CAN ASK THOSE THINGS.

>> CLEARLY, THESE THINGS ARE