Responsibility key even in small stuff

A few assignments ago I found myself at a local softball game, looking to fill a small spot in the sports section.

A member of the crowd recognized me as a photographer — the camera is apparently a dead giveaway — and asked for a favor. A player on one of the teams had just gone through a difficult family ordeal, and she said a picture of him in the newspaper would mean so much.

I had no idea what would unfold in the game, and I make no guarantees because news can break at any time. I told the person I’d keep it in mind, but that I focus on the ball more than I do any particular player.

Eventually, the game started. It was probably five minutes, but in 100-degree heat it felt like a 45-minute wait. Top of the first, the other team scores six runs. The player I promised to keep in mind was a reserve, and not playing in the field.

Maybe his team will score six runs in the bottom of the inning and he’ll get in the game, I thought to myself, but never really focused on it too much.

A few innings complete, and I had photos of what looked to be a blowout — 18-2, I found out later.

I wasn’t sure who was on the particular pictures, as I hadn’t compared the photos to the lineup cards quite yet. You look for photos with good action first, but you also like to find something that features a player from each team.

I had the latter. The play was a slide at home plate, with a fielder ready to make the tag. That was my photo ... except the kid getting tagged out was the one I’d been specifically asked to photograph.

I went back and forth for a little while. Does a picture of him about to get tagged out look bad for him, and compound his difficult times? Does it get shrugged off because that one play wouldn’t have done much to dent the final outcome?

I decided to go with the photo because:

• I liked the photo better than other options, and probably would have run it had the pre-game conversation never happened.

• I wasn’t showing the kid in question making a dumb play. He took a calculated risk the opposing youth softball team wouldn’t execute on defense, and the risk didn’t work out. That’s sports, and that’s life to some degree as well.

It turned out I didn’t ruin the life of the young man in question. The person who first inquired about a photo sent a thank-you card, saying things about me that are far nicer than I deserve. Best of all, she said he was excited to see the photo. He wasn’t concerned at that moment that he got tagged out. He wasn’t concerned at that moment that his team lost.

It was his first time in the newspaper for the first time, and it was a special thing for him even though hardened journalists might see context like “tagged out” or “lost by a lot” and worry that photo wasn’t a good thing. I’m glad the relative reached out, so I didn’t spend the rest of my life wondering about that choice.

I felt like I should share to give an insider perspective. We approach every news item wondering if it’s the most responsible way to reflect the communities we cover, and the small stuff matters too.

Kevin Wilson is editor of The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact him at:

[email protected]