WSLS in Roanoke found itself in a tight spot last week. Everything is out in the open now. But it wasn't for several days. On Feb. 2 Meteorologist Marc Lamarre was admitted to a local hospital in critical condition from a heroin overdose. Police investigated and eventually arrested the dealer. But Lamarre's name was removed from the official documents. On the record, no one was confirming anything about his involvement or his condition. Rumors rampaged through the city. Many people thought Lamarre, a local celebrity, was dead.
Journalists at the station got calls from their high school kids, who wanted to know why their parents were hiding the truth. Callers accused a funeral home near the station of hiding the body.
Kathy Mohn, WSLS general manager, was in a no-win situation. Lamarre was in a hospital fighting for his life. He wasn't charged with a crime. Any information the station had generated came from personal contact, not journalistic reporting. And Lamarre wasn't conscious, so he couldn't consent to a public release.
In the end, the station was scooped on the story. The suspected drug dealer's lawyer had a copy of the affidavit with the names of the overdose victims included. He confirmed, on the record, that Lamarre was the man in the hospital bed.
Although the station was embarrassed, they didn't have a lot of options. They later explained to the public a decision-making process they went through, which included involvement from owner Media General and input from a news director at a sister station in Colorado who had no knowledge of the people involved.
Ultimately there was minor journalistic purpose to the story involving Lamarre. A local celebrity OD'd on heroin. People were curious. They wanted to know what happened. Sure the station had an obligation to tell the whole story. But the public had little to gain by getting the information earlier rather than later. There is a greater obligation to examine the impact of heroin in the community and the capacity of law enforcement to address the problem. That doesn't require revealing Lamarre's name, nor does it suggest the story be covered up.
It's hard to make generalizations from this case. The only truism is that journalists must report on their own and when it happens, it requires a careful examination of loyalties and obligations.
