| Smarts Juggle Privacy, Need for Media Focus |
Wednesday, July 10, 2002 |
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE The Smart family daily news conference -- a fixture at their Federal Heights LDS ward house for a more than a month -- hit its lowest point Tuesday. With no new developments to announce in the investigation or search for kidnapped Elizabeth Smart, the exchange between a dwindling group of reporters and family members petered out in a record five minutes. For the broadcast media, the scarcity of information meant stretching for something newsworthy to put on the air. "I've got to figure out how to fill two minutes," complained one national television newsman. The news media's growing frustration may not find much public sympathy, but it portends a grave problem for the Smart family. Only by keeping Elizabeth's face in front of America can they nourish hope she will be found. The news media, particularly television, demand fresh infusions of information, interviews and angles, whether generated naturally from the investigation or artificially through increased access to the family and their heartbreak. Though most newspeople are circumspect in saying it, they know their editors will soon pull them off even the most compelling story if nothing new breaks. Smart family spokesman Chris Thomas anticipated the problem after Monday's news conference, where the only new information was a clarification of the rewards being offered. Thomas queried an informal gathering of television producers, bookers and reporters: "What can we do to make these press conferences more meaningful?" Later, in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune, Thomas expanded on the Smarts' dilemma: to provide the news media with fresh material on Elizabeth without allowing exploitation that could further harm the family. "The main objective is to keep her picture out there and her story alive," Thomas said. "But we will not do certain things just to keep it alive." Ed and Lois Smart, for example, have refused all overtures to interview Elizabeth's siblings. They have also refused continuous requests to film the inside of their home where the kidnapping took place. "Ed and Lois have thought through this carefully; they are pretty black and white on what they will allow. They still have a family to take care of. Protecting the family is a priority equal to finding Elizabeth." Thomas, a Salt Lake public relations professional who is donating his time to the family, says the family has rejected direct requests from the likes of Geraldo Rivera, Connie Chung and Barbara Walters when their requests meant violating the few private areas they have maintained. "Even if it means the media's going away, we will not compromise certain things to keep them here," Thomas said. Though the family daily reiterates its confidence in the investigation, the news media, at least, has made clear its frustration with the absence of the police at news conferences. "Would it be nice to have someone here from the police to field questions about the investigation?" says Thomas. "Sure, it would be nice. There is only so much the family can say." Salt Lake Police spokesman Capt. Scott Atkinson said the department is trying to maintain a balance. "We do want the family to keep her picture out there. Yet on the other hand, we'd rather spend our time looking for Elizabeth and continuing the investigation," Atkinson said. "When we have new information, we'll be there." Until then, Thomas says the family may have to consider which of its last vestiges of privacy to surrender to the news media. "This is a fragile situation," Thomas says. "This is a family that has been through more than anyone can comprehend." |
