Pumpkin suicide?
Have you noticed that many articles in the big daily papers quote "unnamed sources?" Go snag any issue of The Wichita Eagle and read about Bush's plan to attack Iraq. Or pick out an Associated Press story about the sniper or read something about Israel and Palestine. Notice the quotes. No names, right? It is always a "senior official close to the investigation" or "an administrative aid speaking on condition of anonymity."
So, do you think those people really exist? I think MY job would be a great deal easier if I could quote those people too. But oh, no, not me! I have to have a name for every quote. That is the rule. I could get all kinds of scoops if I could use anonymous comments. Most folks are willing to express their opinions as long as they aren't held accountable. I know I could get more information about local issues if I didn't say, "And, yes, this is on the record. I will quote you." Ha! Talk about a sentence that shuts up the general public!
It seems that other papers are awash in facts, figures, and quotes from who knows where. I am not sure how journalism got to this point. I honestly do think if you are willing to say it, you should be willing to put your name to it.
Sunday morning I noticed that a number of pumpkins, previously sitting placidly in various yards as Halloween decorations were smashed in the streets. Did they jump or were they pushed to their deaths? I don't know, but I bet that if I didn't have to name my sources, it wouldn't be too hard to find out. Here is how I could write the story:
After counting nearly a dozen orange vegetative orbs smashed on the pavement in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, Peabody law enforcement officers remained perplexed by the number of apparent pumpkin suicides. "We are pretty sure it wasn't murder," said a source close to the investigation. "Generally speaking, pumpkin murder takes place on Halloween. But there was an important football game out of town that night and things were pretty quiet. The evening ended early, without incident. And since these pumpkins met their end a full 48 hours later we are calling in suicide profilers to look into pumpkin depression that might follow Halloween."
A county officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted that mental health personnel had been on the scene. "I haven't seen the pumpkins myself," he said. "But I know the coroner and the mental health staff are perplexed. I am not sure we have ever seen anything like this so many days after Halloween. It is just unheard of
Locally, some neighbors of the dead pumpkins voiced different concerns. "We were just turning in for the night," said "Hal" (not his real name) who lives on Walnut Street, "when we heard youngsters screaming, 'Kill him!' We peeked out and saw them. They were big kids, dressed in dark colors. They were bent on pumpkin devastation. I know they did it."
His neighbor, "Edna" (who also asked that her real name not be used) agreed. "I heard them, too. I had already brought my pumpkin in, as I want to make a pie. But I shut off all my lights and just sat there in the dark. I was scared. I don't think it was suicide
See how easy it is to do that? Mix a few facts with a few anonymous comments and you have an incident to report.
The truth of this whole story is that Halloween in Peabody did end early without any vandalism, probably because of the out of town football game. All of the pumpkin displays were safe. But guess who was back in town and cruising for action Saturday night? The village idiots, who are always bent on destruction for the sake of destruction
— SUSAN MARSHALL
