Deciding on news coverage of a funeral

(originally posted Feb. 27, 2007)

It doesn't happen often. It is a rare event that draws members of a community together in a common purpose. Too often it seems these events are tragic. The funeral of Toledo Police Detective Keith Dressel bonded the Toledo community in grief for a fallen hero.

The family of Detective Dressel allowed live coverage of the services primarily so that there would be a recorded history of the event for his family and so that those who could not attend in person would be able to watch them via television. Representatives of Toledo's stations met with those planning the services Friday to establish rules for broadcasting the event to the public. It was agreed that our station would provide two pool cameras inside the church. No reporters were allowed inside. A pool camera from another station would be set up at the cemetery. There were cameras allowed outside the church to show the precision of the honor guard, to record the somber strains from bagpipes playing, and to present impressive images of thousands of uniformed officers from throughout the nation unified in their tribute to Detective Dressel.

The broadcast of the services lasted for five and a half hours. Our goal was to make certain that our broadcast of the funeral was presented with the dignity that Detective Dressel, his family, friends and fellow officers deserved.

Here is a sample of email from a viewer who wished to remain unidentified:

"I want to commend you, as well as the other local stations, for the extensive coverage of Detective Dressel's death and funeral. I really appreciated your compassion and professionalism in delivering such a difficult story. My heart aches for the family, friends and the Toledo Police Department. I have a renewed appreciation for the men and women that protect our city. Thank you for giving the public the opportunity to be a part of this hero's farewell."

Naturally, not every viewer took this same point of view. A relative few were disappointed that their favorite entertainment programs were pre-empted. Others wrote us to say they felt the coverage was excessive. While we understand that disruption of a show can be irritating, we stand by our decision to present continuous coverage. A Toledo Police Officer had not been shot and killed in the line of duty since 1970. Toledo's police chief, Michael Navarre, aptly said during his tribute to Detective Dressel, "there is nothing to prepare for that moment---a moment I pray will never be repeated."

We thank all those who were involved in the Monday's services and for allowing our station the privilege of making the services available to the public. And we echo the police chief's prayer while sending our heartfelt sympathies to friends and family members.