Police-Media Relations at Critical Incidents: Interviews from Oklahoma City
| Author | Steven S. Bellew,John Liederbach,Tory J. Caeti |
| Published date | 01 May 2005 |
| Date | 01 May 2005 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1350/ijps.7.2.86.65776 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Police-media relations at critical incidents:
interviews from Oklahoma City
Tory J. Caeti,† John Liederbach‡ and Steven S. Bellew§
†273F Chilton Hall, University of North Texas, Department of Criminal Justice, PO Box
305130, Denton, TX 76203–5130, USA; tel: 940–565–4591; fax: 940–565–2548; email:
tcaeti@scs.cmm.unt.edu
‡Corresponding author: 273L Chilton Hall, University of North Texas, Department of
Criminal Justice, PO Box 305130, Denton, TX 76203–5130, USA; tel: 940–565–3464; fax:
940–565–2548; email: jliederb@scs.cmm.unt.edu
§Federal Protective Service.
Received 23 April 2004; revised and accepted 29 June 2004.
Tory Caeti PhD is currently an Assistant Professor
an especially salient topic in the post-September
in the Department of Criminal Justice at the
11 environment. Given the attention-grabbing
University of North Texas. He has authored or co-
nature of these events, police administrators are
authored over 20 journal articles, books and
often faced with the task of building and main-
manuscripts, and his articles have appeared in
taining relationships with members of the media
Crime and Delinquency, Law and Policy, American
at these scenes, primarily reporters and their crews
Journal of Criminal Law, and Criminal Justice
who often pursue goals that are in direct conflict
Policy Review. In addition, he has been awarded
with those of law enforcement. This article exam-
research grants to study topics including law
ines the issues related to police–media relations at
enforcement and victim services, saturation patrol
critical incident scenes using interview data from
methodologies, juvenile homicide trends, and
subjects involved in policing the scene of the
drugs and crime. His current research interests
Oklahoma City bombing and the related trials of
include police patrol, administration and manage-
Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. These
ment, crime analysis, and criminal justice policy.
interviews provide a context for the presentation
John Liederbach PhD is currently an Assistant
of guidelines important to police administrators
Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice
who must be able to forge successful relationships
at the University of North Texas. His research
with the media at critical incidents.
interests include police work load analysis,
small-town and rural policing, and white-collar
INTRODUCTION
and professional crime. His work has appeared
in Justice Quarterly, American Journal of Crimi-
Clashes between police and members of the
nal Justice, and Police Forum.
media at critical incident scenes have
Steven S. Bellew has an MSc in Criminal Justice
become all too familiar and commonplace
from the University of North Texas. He is
— law enforcement personnel scramble to
employed by the Federal Protective Service.
deal with protecting evidence, aiding vic-
tims, and interviewing witnesses while on-
scene reporters and camera crews descend
ABSTRACT
upon the situation to begin a piranha-like
International Journal of Police
The policing of critical incident scenes, including
assault over local, state, or federal officers.
Science and Management,
Vol. 7 No. 2, 2005, pp. 86–97.
natural disasters, hazardous materials spills, hos-
The more blood and excitement these
© Vathek Publishing,
1461–3557
tage situations, and terrorist attacks, has become
events produce, the more prominent the
Page 86
Caeti, Liederbach and Bellew
media blitz becomes. These repeated clashes
extent to which media pressures may affect
are especially troubling in light of the many
police decision-making more generally.
recent critical incidents experienced, from
Finally, the interviews can supply useful
the traumatic September 11 attacks in New
information to law enforcement executives
York City to the calculated sniper shootings
interested in finding ways to improve
in the Washington, DC area.
police–media relations.
Critical incident scenes may include
events such as natural disasters, hostage sit-
uations, suicides, high-profile homicides,
OKLAHOMA CITY AND THE
hazardous materials spills and terrorist
HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF POLICE-
attacks. These scenes inherently have added
MEDIA RELATIONS
significance for law enforcement officers
For many, the images that were seared into
and executives charged with responding to
the American public’s collective conscience
and maintaining control over these rare but
in April 1995 remain indelible. The hulk-
often definitive crisis situations. Because of
ing, hollowed out frame of the Murrah
the unique nature of these high-profile
federal building standing silent amid smoke
emergency events, critical incident scenes
and debris. Rescue personnel coming to
provide an excellent context to explore the
the aid of injured, bloodied children. The
larger implications and effects of the rela-
horrified and stunned look of onlookers
tionship between the media and the police.
that mirrored the mood of a nation that day.
Highly charged and emotionally gut-
The bombing was then the worst terrorist
wrenching events can work to define and
attack ever to occur on US soil, and the
clarify a built-in conflict of interest that
explosion of the massive fuel oil and ferti-
exists between the media and police officials
liser truck bomb that twisted steel and
— conflicts that have historically resulted
crushed concrete resulted not only in the
in hostility, suspicion, and occasional
death of 168 citizens, but also irrevocably
violence.
altered the American public’s sense of
This article uses interview data from one
security.
especially horrifying and salient critical
If images of the horrific damage remain
incident, the 1995 bombing of the Murrah
fresh, so too does the massive media pres-
federal building in Oklahoma City, to pro-
ence that engulfed the site immediately
vide a case study in police–media relations
following the event. As quickly as police
at critical incident scenes. We present the
and rescue personnel worked to secure the
results of interviews conducted with various
site, hordes of local and national journalists
local police personnel and federal agents
flocked excitedly to the scene, replete with
who were personally involved in securing
bright lights, cameras, and an insatiable
the scene immediately following the bomb-
need for immediate coverage and informa-
ing, as well as the subsequent trial of perpe-
tion from authorities. The extensive media
trators Timothy McVeigh and Terry
coverage would persist through search and
Nichols. In addition, one of the authors was
rescue attempts, the investigation and ulti-
present at both scenes and was responsible
mately the trial of the bombing suspects.
for providing police security. These inter-
The immediate and overwhelming presence
views allow us to explore the process of
of the media at the scene and the security
communication that occurred between the
problems that confronted police in Okla-
media and police executives in Oklahoma
homa City as a result of the bombing was
City, and also provides a glimpse into the
not unique, but rather just another case in a
Page 87
Police-media relations at critical incidents
decades-long struggle between law enforce-
not grant the media unabridged access to
ment personnel and the media in the after-
information or the right to interview mem-
math of critical incidents. Garner (1984)
bers of the public (Peltason, 1991). Instead,
has characterised the historically stormy
courts have continually attempted to bal-
relationship as one comprising ‘basic mis-
ance the right of the press to access infor-
trust and perhaps even mutual dislike’
mation that it deems is in the ‘public
between the two parties. Likewise, survey
interest’ with the rights of government to
research has clearly identified significant
maintain order. For example, the Supreme
and pronounced differences of opinion
Court has consistently upheld the media’s
between members of the press and officers
right to access and report information relat-
regarding the publication of crime news
ing to criminal trials, but has refrained from
stories (Altschull, 1975; Selke & Bartoszek,
providing the media an absolute right to
1984).
take pictures or publicly broadcast such pro-
These points of conflict are not new, but
ceedings (see Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v
rather appear to emanate from long-
Virginia;1 Globe Newspaper Co. v Superior
standing constitutional, occupational, and
Court2).
historical factors that have served to per-
The issue of whether or not the media
petuate struggles between police and
have a right to broadcast publicly specific
members of the media over time. First,
information has undergone special scrutiny.
disagreements between the two groups are
In this regard, the court has ruled that ‘there
...
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