WDRB Follows Elements of Journalism Closely

As a local news organization, WDRB has every right to inform the community and help the public at all times. They are to be committed to the truth, to their loyalty of the common people, and above all, keep the public knowledgeable about what's going on around them. Recently, Louisville has undergone a tragedy that has been since dubbed a 'racially motivated' attack, though investigations are still going on. A man walked into the J-Town Kroger, whipped out a gun, and shot two African-American individuals. We have witnessed this horrific violence in our backyards, with every local station and newspaper scrambling to report.

WDRB has closely followed the Elements of Journalism throughout this series of news- proving a well thought out report with multiple sections, and never vying from the truth. The Elements are a sorts of 'rules' that journalists should follow (whether consciously or not) in order to achieve quality journalism.  

Now one of those Elements is the truth, meaning that WDRB reports nothing but the truth, and has transparent sources. This story for example, about the Kroger shooter having a history of mental illness and racist comments (http://www.wdrb.com/story/39355392/accused-kroger-shooter-had-history-of-mental-illness-and-racist-comments) has no fabrication what so ever. Every source is clearly stated, there are various sources and quotes, and the report holds solid facts. Not only is this obeying the Element of truth, but verification as well. 

Verification is where the news network has multiple sources and witnesses included within the story. The reporters for the report have gone out of their way in order to get statements from the Jeffersontown police chief, various church members who relate to the story, and were even able to dig up a complaint the father of the shooter made, back in 2009.  

The third Element wonderfully executed by WDRB is making the important interesting. With so much chaos and controversy surrounding every aspect of this shooting, it's easy to lose people with the same boring narrative. A man with a history of mental illness gets a gun, shoots people, gets caught. The end.  So when we learn that this could possibly be a racially motivated shooting, the story gets a bit more interesting. And than when we learn the shooter tried to previously get into a mainly African-American church just hours before his crime, we start hanging on to the edge of our seats. It makes this all more significant of a story, and more relevant to the public; that in 2018 we are still fighting racism from both sides. Our community has the right to be informed about that. 

So WDRB stands out as a trustworthy local news outlet that keeps the common people informed. This is so important, because now a days we don't know who to trust when it comes to the news.