The Susan Still story
We report news of human tragedy every single day - rapes, murders, child snatchings, cases of abuse. And some days that news is so overwhelming I worry that we in the media might become immune.
This week, if reporters, editors and readers alike did not sit up and take notice of the Susan Still story, then we are seriously deficient in humanity genes.
Today's piece by reporter Sandra Tan is about Still's appearance on Oprah Winfrey's show. On Tuesday, Tan reported on this domestic violence case, which resulted in Ulner Still being sentenced in 2004 to 36 years in prison for repeatedly beating his then wife, often in front of their children.
The description of portions of the 50-minute videotape of Still being verbally and physically abused are horrifying. Her composure when talking now about the abuse is stunning.
This newspaper has written about domestic violence many times before; it is not a new story. However, too often people read those stories, shake their heads in despair and move on to the next article on the page.
I doubt that many will soon forget Susan Still's horrifying experience, and for me, that is the perfect example of the power of the press.
Yes, it is our mission to expose governmental waste and wrong-doing, to report on wars, natural disasters, crime and the courts. But even more importantly it is our duty to expose those who are at-risk in our communities.
Readers tell me they don't want to read "unpleasant" stories about things like domestic abuse. Several years ago, the stories about priests abusing young people sent a shock wave through the Catholic Church and many readers were very angry at the media coverage of those cases.
But newspapers cannot stay silent about the victims who are among us, no matter how uncomfortable their stories. Thankfully, Susan Still did not stay silent.
