Our visit to the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s office may have been the most chilling one that we have taken this year… literally.
I had always heard that the medical examiner’s office was cold, but I didn’t realize it until the tour. Being there put everything into perspective for me on a personal level, as well as a journalist.
As we have visited the many places throughout the first half of this semester, I have learned about public records, and the different places that you can go to find out things you need for a story, but I have also learned a lot more than that.
I have learned not to take anything for granted, and that it is important to stay on your track, otherwise things can go downhill very quickly.
One quote summed up the medical examiner for me.
“This is the end point for public records for people.”
It is chilling to hear. All our lives, we are compiling public records, but once you end up at the medical examiner, and they fill out that death certificate, there is nothing else to find out.
We have followed the paths of certain people through public records, and it was an unbelievable experience to see it all come to an end, but that is the reality of reporting.
It is not all warm stories, and funny features. Sometimes it is about the cold, hard truth. As journalists, we have to program ourselves to look for exactly that, the truth. In journalism, it is all about supplying the public with the truth, and sometimes that means know that all cremations require an autopsy, or to know what records are public and what are private and reserved for the next of kin.
What is nice to know, is that the final resting place for public records for a person, in this case, the medical examiner, is that they are fair, open and honest with everything they do. I was surprised to know how well, and how open the Hillsborough office was, and that is reassuring as a person as well as a journalist.
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The "cold" opinion is a good lead into the blog.
ReplyDeleteI like the quote, "all our lives we are compiling public records"
Very surreal entry.
I liked how you talked about the darker side of reporting. It is very true and sometimes we just don't think about it. I also like the quotes that you used for the piece. Great!
ReplyDeleteGood job! You may have overused the word "chilling", but I liked that you attempted to use some creativity. Don't be afraid to dig deep and give details. They can help paint a more vivid picture.
ReplyDeleteI like how you made this place a final destination for people and their records. It is funny how all your life you acquire all these records but, once you get there it closes your file and sits on a shelf for another 30 years. I enjoyed this field trip I think as much as you and a the other chosen blogs. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteI liked how you tied in the "ending" of the public records for a person. Good touch on noting your experience yet still tying it in to being a journalist. Good word choices (ie: chilling) and the information flowed well.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job describing the eerie feeling you get walking through the examiner's office and hearing how this is the end for public records. Great descriptions and good quote.
ReplyDeleteI thought you did a nice job making the reader feel like death is scary. Great Headline. I liked the use of quotes.
ReplyDeleteVery personal blog which makes the read more interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a good job conveying the sense of thought for your reader. I liked how it covered more than just an overview of the fieldtrip.
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely chilling indeed. Journalism is not all happy and exciting all the time. That quote about this being the end point for public records hit me too.
ReplyDeleteGood post! I like how you made it so matter of fact and kind of brought it into a personal close. I enjoyed reading it :)
ReplyDeleteThis was a very different approach, in a good way. I like that you put a different spin on this somewhat morbid trip. Great job!
ReplyDeletePerfect writing. I like the personal approach and understandings you have. I would love to see some pictures. Try it gives more flavor to your blog.
ReplyDeleteThis was definitely a different approach but very enjoyable. I loved the personal outlook on reporting and it definitely caught my attention
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Nice title. I feel this post was different then the rest in that you gave us a different perspective on the trip. That's the great thing about having a good class size, you are able to see things in a light most wouldn't. Overall a great effort.
ReplyDeleteYou really gave the feeling that you are a little frightened of the idea of dying (can't blame you) but I got that more than anything else. Personable and different!
ReplyDeleteHey Charles! Good post. I liked how you wrote about journalism and truth. It's important at a place like the Hillsborough MEO to keep honest records, especially because of their importance in determing the manner of death for a person.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated your writing style in this post.
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