Discussion: MyBayCity's Coverage of the Hetzel Story & Farragut Street Fire
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As many of you (MyBayCity Readers) can imagine, my phone has been ringing off the hook over the past few days. My e-mail (in-box) is bursting at the seams with input pertaining to MyBayCity's coverage of the Hetzel incident. "The Buzz" is buzzing with Internet prattle.
MyBayCity has always professed itself to be the "good news oasis" in the coverage wasteland of newspaper and television death and destruction.
In quiet moments, I have found a personal satisfaction making a "go of it" on the Internet information super-highway without the need for sensationalism and/or scare tactics.
Perhaps you remember my first local venture into Bay City/Bay County News -- Bay County Sports Page (1976-1984) One other time during the 5-years history of MyBayCity, (Mrs. Salogar's Death), we ventured into the murky waters of local crime to cover an event that none of us here at the publication could fathom in terms of its evil stench.
This second brush with crime also strikes close to home for all of us at MyBayCity. Many of us knew Sharron Hetzel. Many of us knew Dave Hetzel. We ate, drank, mingled and often networked in parallel and criss-crossing life paths.
And so this recent blackness struck too close to home for all of us.
I truly love living in Bay City, Michigan. I've seen the big city and I'm not interested. Too many people. Too many problems. Too much traffic. Too much random evil.
Our initial coverage of the Hetzel story evolved like this.
In our group, Dave Rogers had the information first. Steve Kent, a partner at OJ Advertising and Mid-Michigan Computer Consultants was contacted and brought into the discussion. Kent knew both Dave and Sharron Hetzel very well.
The police (at the crime scene) refused to give out any information. As it turned out, it took almost 5 days for local law enforcement to publish an official position. In the end, we all agreed and decided to go forward with the story. I gave my blessing.
IF I HAD IT TO DO ALL OVER AGAIN . . .
First, let me say this: "If I had to do it over again, I truly don't think I would publish the article.
Retrospect is always 20/20.
But yet, I stand behind the decision I made just a fews days back.
In recent weeks, we have had an unsettling series of violent acts that have many within the community on edge. Pamela Wilson and Holly Falasz (both young women) have lost their lives this summer to violent crimes in Bay City. Now the Hetzels.
Just as many of you, we at MyBayCity have been a bit overwhelmed by this new purveyance of evil in our community.
With respect to Saturday's early morning report concerning fire and body count on Farragut Street, all we could imagine was that "The Evil" that had rained down on the Hetzels must have come from outside the community.
The local authorities at the crime scene were tight-lipped. We were frustrated and could not understand why authorities would not release any pertinent and timely information. The source of on-scene information to MyBayCity was friendly, well-known "insiders" in the mainstream of government and those friends and families in the near neighborhood immediately around Farragut Street.
We knew Sharron and Dave Hetzel. Sharron was a subscriber to MyBayCity.
Did MyBayCity get our original story wrong?
Yes we did.
Do I feel badly? Yes I do.
Have we changed our news focus?
Not at all.
For the record, (If you're counting . . . and I am) this is article Number 2,939 in the database of MyBayCity. The Hetzel article by Dave Rogers is only the 2nd article in our publication history that has dealt with death and the ugliness of evil in our community.
Dave Rogers has written (literally) over 1,000 articles for MyBayCity that deal with the wonder, the joy, and the positive lifestyle that thrives inside our community boundaries. He should be commended for that accomplishment.
We've been publishing the positive slant on local events for almost five (5) years now.
We will continue.
We invite you to continue to read.
NOTE: I have closed "The Buzz" with respect to Article Number 2931
The Hetzel Fire on Farragut Street.)
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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers! |
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Anonymous Says:
On August 06, 2008
at 11:53 PM
Well said O.J. (Almost as good as a retraction) We look forward to MYBAYCITY's continued good news approach to Bay City news.
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Anonymous Says:
On August 07, 2008
at 05:47 AM
Nicely written O.J. But the family of those people and the general public (for that matter) deserve to have a truly heart-felt "I AM SO SORRY FOR BEING AN IDIOT" from Dave Rogers himself. But thanks for covering for him! Good people admit when they are wrong.
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dmaillette Says:
On August 07, 2008
at 06:11 AM
This took courage. My only other comment is about your grammar. You don't feel "badly." You feel "bad" as opposed to "good." ("Goodly" ??)
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jbc Says:
On August 07, 2008
at 07:59 AM
You almost did it. You almost printed a retraction. But, after reading this, I'm still left with the feeling that you don't actually think that you did something wrong. In multiple places you blame the authorities and their apparent inabaility to provide you with information since you are "media". Look, mybaycity.com is not and was not a party to the evolving investigation. You were not singled out. The Bay City Times, waited, researched, and gathered as much info as they could before going to press. Dave Rogers did not. He found a "source" and then weaved together speculation into an article that had you folks thinking that you broke the case. It was not the fault of the authorities that made you get it wrong, as you seen to think it was. It was Dave Rogers, and this Kent guy that you convenienatly threw under the bus during the course of your explaination.
I don't mind you covering "dark" issues from time to time. I do enjoy the positive however. But, for crying out loud, double check this stuff before you print it. |
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Anonymous Says:
On August 07, 2008
at 08:30 AM
I just read your excellent article: "Discussion: MyBayCity's Coverage of the Hetzel Story & Farragut Street Fire."
I commend you for that article and encourage all of you at mybaycity.com not to be further bothered by the nasty acid mouth critics. You are also wise for not taking anymore comments. Your article is excellent closure for the Hetzel news story and the furor it sparked by some in our community. My advice (as I am always so free to give it) -- is, just sit tight and do what you've always been doing, and allow the critics to fad away). |
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anon Says:
On August 07, 2008
at 08:51 AM
The police were tight lipped because they needed to do their investigation AND they needed to explain their findings to the family. The Bay City Times didn't report official findings because they didn't have any. Both of them were in the right. YOU were in the wrong.
Not only was your article false, insensitive to the family, and sensational, it caused unnecessary fear in the neighborhoods surrounding the Hetzel home. I know; I live in those neighborhoods. This wasn't an apology, it wasn't a retraction. You didn't go far enough and I think you could have done better. |
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BigBullFun Says:
On August 07, 2008
at 09:49 AM
Dougie,from one DJ to another,your a true pro and i want to grow up to be just like you,lol keep up the good work...DJ Show
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BigBullFun Says:
On August 07, 2008
at 09:56 AM
Let's stick to entertainment,keep the Bad news to the Times or tv, please ,I love MyBayCity.com keep up the great work DJ Show
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yerstik Says:
On August 07, 2008
at 11:41 AM
Very nice O.J. Some people out there are moaning that they would rather have had a retraction. Is that some magical thing that's going to "Make the boo boo all better"? You told the truth about how the whole thing came about, and that's definitely more than enough. As for Dave Rogers, he may have gotten the present - now "past" wrong, but unfortunately he may be seeing the future.
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katev1121 Says:
On August 07, 2008
at 12:11 PM
The only thing worse than bad journalism is making lame excuses for it. So now it is the fault of the police that you fabricated some disgusting scenario in order to "scoop" the rest of the media. Please tell us how we are to believe anything in the future that you "report" on. Many of us knew the Hetzels and feel numb by what has happened but if you "love" this little ol' town of our, then stop with the alarmist mentality and stick with the facts. Not even close to an apology that you obviously feel you don't owe.
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ejylha Says:
On August 07, 2008
at 12:23 PM
One comment, the police may have been tight lipped with some media outlets, but not all. The paper and the tv stations all knew by Saturday mid-day the basics of the story. The murder-suicide and financial motive were reported Sunday. The details (off the record at that point) were well known by several reporters by Monday morning. Dave Hetzel's mailing to his daughters arrived Monday, causing a delay in the news release from the PD until that afternoon. My opinion now, in a situation like this, accurate reporting kills rumours.
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PastorNathanBickel says:
On August 07, 2008
at 03:59 PM
This latest "Discussion......" story by OJ Cunningham is more than adequate for me.
As this situation has unfolded with all the rabid critics, it gave our community an opportunity to see how unforgiving some people can be. For me, and I hope others in this predominantly Catholic Christian [influenced] community, I hope that the critics of mybaycity.com will realize the total history of this positive online resource and regard its latest article of admission to be adequate "penance," for the one lone news piece that was not, apparently, up to speed, and off base. Finally, allow me to draw this [imperfect] illustration: Should all of us damn and demand the shutdown of the local TV stations because of the weather [bad or good] that never does materialize? And that [scientifically forcasted]weather, is not based upon "rumor." Would this, then, be all the more reason to keep on bad mouthing and call for TV stations to shutdown? You unforgiving critics -- examine your own lives. And if you truly do -- you will find much less time to negatively criticize mybaycity.com . Give them a break. You know that others give you a break. Let it rest.......... |
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ebmspang Says:
On August 08, 2008
at 04:55 AM
Before we are too quick to judge...take a breath and think about this! While it is easy for many of us to sit back and self-righteously criticize Dave Rogers for his overzealous misrepresentation
of the details in this particular tragedy, he's not the first to get it wrong and he won't be the last! If I had a dollar for all the many times the Bay City Times, local TV, radio and all our other so-called "credible" news sources have misreported, misrepresented and/or over-sensationalized facts in their news stories, I'd be eating out a heck of a lot more...and at fancier restaurants! Does that excuse Dave for his part in this particular article? I'm sure not! Did he intend to hurt anyone? The answer is emphatically no! Should he apologize? That's for Dave to decide! However, before beating the chests too loudly, we might first consider just how much each of us has "personally contributed" to the overall promotion and well-being of Bay City! I've known Dave personally for over 35 years now! I honestly believe you'd be hard-pressed to find many others in town, like him, who have unselfishly devoted themselves to so many important and positive causes to help make the community a better place to live in! He has been a sincere champion for Bay City for many, many years and we all should be thankful to him for that! The positive that Dave has contributed to the community most certainly outweighs any amount of negative! Fortunately for us, people like Dave pick up the slack for the majority of us who never get involved in community programs because we're either to busy, to tired or to self-absorbed to care. Thank you for that Dave! You know, it's funny just how easy it is for some to boisterously point out shortcomings in others yet they seem to find it so difficult to acknowledge anything good! Shouldn't that be the other way around? Besides, I trust that if we are all honest with ourselves, when we look in the mirror... For you thinkers out there, I'm sure you get my point! I am extremely fortunate and proud to know Dave Rogers! He has a big heart...and I have directly benefited from his selfless generosity and guidance! Those who know him as well as I do, know what I mean! Thank you Dave! EBP |
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Anonymous Says:
On August 08, 2008
at 09:03 AM
Thank you OJ for your comments and for restoring balance to this incident. Unfortunately this will continue to happen in the current era of tabloid journalism, where facts sometimes take a back seat in the rush to 'scoop' the rival media. An apology from Dave would be a classy thing to do, and I hope it happens.
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GreenDog says:
On August 11, 2008
at 10:19 AM
I like it. But now we only get to see one pix each of "the blondes". Hang 10, dude
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stacksofamber Says:
On June 28, 2010
at 03:28 AM
For dmaillette:
Perhaps you need a grammar lesson. She can feel badly. Badly is an adverb. It is perfectly acceptable to use to describe the word "feel". A person does not feel "good". A person feels well. |
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O. J. Cunningham |
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