One of the most sensitive and controversial parts of our job is talking with grieving family members.  It seems every time tragedy ensues, reporters are on the scene trying to put a microphone in someone's face.  Many critics consider it cold and unnecessary.  I used to be one of those critics.  However, over the years I have discovered the issue is not as black and white as it sounds.

Grieving family members and friends have told me they don't want to talk to reporters.  Some have told me flat out to leave them alone.  I believe it is their right to do so.  What has surprised me is that many have invited me into their homes and freely talked, sometimes on-camera, about their personal tragedy.

There's no doubt that speaking with grieving loved ones allows journalists to tell the story better.  Not only do we get to report the news but we also put a face to the story.  It's hard for me to approach grieving family members.  But by doing so, I give them a chance to speak highly of their loves ones and let people know who they really were.  The last thing I want to do is make their grieving worse.

It seems people who watch local news regularly and have lived in this community for a long time are more willing to talk when tragedy ensues.  Perhaps they trust us more.  Perhaps they want to inform other friends and family around the area.  Whatever the case, I remember being invited into one home in Campbell County full of people grieving.  They shared pictures and stories with me.  They knew me from television and were open to sharing their pain with me.  It was an honor for me to be there.

It is true that many journalists are de-sensitized and see interviewing the grieving as just another part of their job.  I see things differently.  If I must approach a grieving family member as part of my job, I want something positive to come out of it.