Friday, September 16, 2022

It's Murder Out There for Reporters

There are numerous ways to get snuffed in Las Vegas: corruption, The Mob, questionable acquaintances, scorching heat, all the vices you can think of and some you can’t. However, I wouldn’t have guessed “being a reporter investigating a low-level bureaucrat.” 

Jeff German
As the site’s media grump, this hits close to home and troubles me. You may have heard, but Jeff
German, a Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter, was stabbed to death outside his home on Sept. 2. Robert Telles, a Clark County public administrator, is charged with murder. 

German had written several stories about Telles, detailing mismanagement of his office. Subordinates alleged that he created a toxic work environment and carried on an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer, complete with a videotape of a rendezvous between the two of them in the back seat of her car at a parking garage. He denied the allegations and tried to explain away the car meeting as innocent. 

Telles was first elected to the office in 2018, but lost his bid for re-election in a June primary. He blamed the newspaper stories for his loss. Vegas police almost immediately identified him as a “person of interest” in its investigation. Surveillance video of a car registered to his wife near German’s home on the day of the killing and DNA evidence found on German linked Telles to the scene and prompted officials to charge him with murder. 

German’s colleagues said that he didn’t view Telles as dangerous. After all, German had been with the paper for 40 years and investigated crooks and mobsters and gang members and very bad people – lots of folks more likely to threaten and harm those that got in their way – and was never deterred. 

The Telles pieces were fairly low on the investigative food chain. No crimes, no graft; just incompetence and poor management by a county administrator with no criminal record. And yet, here we are. Review-Journal executive editor Glenn Cook told the Washington Post’s Erik Wemple: “It’s terrifying for the staff to understand that this is possible, and it is alarming to journalists everywhere that the person that you would least expect to be capable of something like this actually might be.” 
 
Journalists are under attack around the world – 1,125 killed since 2000, and 552 in the past decade, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Most of those, though, were in war zones or authoritarian countries, where simply stating facts can get reporters threatened, jailed or killed. 

The U.S. still has among the free-est of free presses. Only 10 journalists in the U.S. have been killed since 2000, according to the CPJ. Four of those were in June 2018 during an assault at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md., that killed a total of five. 

Reuters' Danish Siddiqui was killed in
Afghanistan in 2021
However, those stats don’t begin to tell the story of reporter harassment. Shuttering newspapers and shedding staff provide those with power and status the chance to act with impunity or silence dissenting voices. Increasingly contentious social discourse fuels conflict. Social media provides a cloak of anonymity for those affected or who may simply disagree. I would argue that there’s also a through line from a certain former POTUS – Mr. Fake News and the Press is the Enemy of the People – to those who feel emboldened to attack reporters. 

German’s murder isn’t a template and that’s what makes it chilling. There’s inherent danger for reporters covering a shooting war or poking about the affairs of criminals and despots and the powerful. But a county government official seeking retribution, or an aggrieved citizen shooting up an Annapolis newsroom because of a story that described his harassment of a high school acquaintance are another level. Reporting has plenty of unique challenges in the best of times, which this isn’t. Reporters now must be even more attuned to threats and the possibility of violence from anyone who fancies themselves a victim.

24 comments:

  1. Our OBX correspondent sure knows how to to take us into the weekend on a FEEL GOOD FRIDAY!

    This is a chilling story.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It’s scarier than ever, and it’s why I’m even more proud of my friend Lou who came back to Va from Cali to launch the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism. He’s super impressive, and I hope this endeavor achieves its mission.

    https://vcij.org/stories/vcij-has-a-new-home-at-whro-public-media

    ReplyDelete
  3. I try to spread sunshine wherever I go.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wait wait wait, you expect me to believe that when the leader of the free world says "The press is the enemy of the people," his followers take him literally? C'mon, that's ridiculous. They might take his words seriously, but not literally. And that's a legitimate distinction.

    Does Lou know Lew? Did Lew ever get another Landy?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lou does not know Lew.
    Lew bought 2 Landys and was deciding which one he liked better. Lew is cool.

    ReplyDelete
  6. hope you took the gophers and gave the points. buffs are bruuuutal.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Losing $ thanks to ND. Thanks for nothing, Danimal.

    ReplyDelete
  8. In RVA to see the Head and the Heart. Last minute decision. Usually pays off.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Speaking of Fun Belt, ODU nearly knocked off the Wahoos. Dang it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sorry Whit. I have no data, but I'm comfortable saying that nd has covered 40-45% of its games over the last decade. If you had asked, I would have advised against it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. No worries, my friend. I bet like an idiot.

    ReplyDelete
  12. 2 things…

    1. The Head and the Heart put on a truly outstanding show. If you have half an interest, please check ‘em out. We had boss seats (right in front of the lead singer from Richmond’s family, yeah that’s right), and it was exquisite.

    2. Next time you’re at the Jefferson Hotel bar, look for a specialty drink named the Bermuda Boot. I just named it for the artisan barkeep who’s putting it on the menu. Yeah, that’s right.

    It’s all coming up aces for the kid.

    Except my betting. Dan.

    ReplyDelete
  13. MSNBC is doing a four-part series about the police shooting in my hometown that I wrote about once. It starts tonight at 10 pm and continues for the next three Sundays. I will find it more interesting that you will, but you still might find it interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hey Z, I read your earlier post about the shooting. Helluva heartfelt, compelling read. As good as it gets in this here digital tree fort, and many other outlets. And sadly, as relevant today as nine years ago. As several commenters remarked, we've made progress over the long haul, but in recent years not so much.

    Also, I think I would purchase your memoir.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I’ll watch for sure. Thanks for sharing, Z.

    In other news, and because I know you all have been on pins and needles, the wife did not have plans for the Saturday of my birthday weekend. So we’re doing Omakase on Friday night. Followed by two of my favorite restaurants in Winter Park (Iberian Tapas and Ramen/Korean chicken wings) on Saturday and then Pusha T to wrap shit up. My wife. She’s cool as shit.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Whit - What goes into a Bermuda Boot?
    Gators & Irish extremely fortunate to eek out wins yesterday. Disappointing to no one, ND will be lucky to win 6 games this year. Pre-season rankings are bollocks. When will they (never) release rankings after a portion of the season has been played out? I know, that isn't conducive to clicks and such.
    On the flip, it is nice to watch a Jags team that is competent at worse, and maybe even pretty good. That's right, I said it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Mark, sounds like your wife is awesome!
    Journalist Dave, frightening and sad state of affairs.
    Zman, I too went back and read your piece. The needle hasn’t moved much since you wrote that considering what happened to George Floyd. And I’d buy your memoir, too.
    I’ve had a tough re-entry since back from Scotland. It was the vacation I needed since 2019. I’ve had some in the years between, but not like this was. And though hard to leave our kid there, he’s loving it and doing fantastically well. So can’t really be anything but happy for him. And now, being back, it’s a bit of a slog. I have a situation at work where a family has the dad likely going to trial for felony murder. It’s horrible and terrifying, and I guess I just need to say that out loud somewhere. My husband is super supportive, but this is a lot to manage.
    Here’s to whatever sports (football) or TV (y’all seen “Loot”—pretty funny) or dipshittery (this blog or others) or whatever (Scottish whisky and gin) offers distraction.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I look forward to watching the piece on Teaneck especially after reading the post from 2013. Pieces such as as this compel me to go back to see what else I have missed through the years. Quite good.

    ReplyDelete
  19. my niece has been offered a full-time assistant coaching role on baseball team at the school from which she graduated. if she takes it, she'll be the first woman in that role in duval county history. will be the subject of a post should it happen. pretty cool either way.

    ReplyDelete
  20. that's awesome Rob. Fletcher?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hang in there Donna--that family is lucky to have you as a resource.

    ReplyDelete
  22. My uncle (through marriage) passed tonight. His son is named after my father and is my closest cousin in age and relationship. My uncle Doug is also the most successful human being I’ve ever known. But also one of the best humans you could ever ask to know. I’m a fucking mess. Not for me so much but for my cousin, who’s Mom has already passed. Life is not fair sometimes.

    ReplyDelete