Mounted search and rescue

["Lee Farren" <leefarren@bmi.net>]

Hello MSAR list members--

I recently posted a request to this list for MSAR stories that might become
part of a magazine article for Western Horseman.  There's been some
discussion about what is appropriate to release to "the press."  So here's
my take.

Freelance journalists make their living by coming up with good ideas and
pitching them to editors, who then decide whether or not they want to look
at a story.  I began this project with a general query about MSAR.  It
turned out that WH profiled a Latah County, Idaho, MSAR group last May.  So
now I'm looking for a specific mission, because it would be a different
approach and include some narrative drama.

I'd like to tell the story of one mission, probably from multiple
viewpoints, with the focus how horses are used and what it's like to ride as
part of a search and rescue operation.  I'd rather tell the story of a
mission that ends with the recovery of a live person.  I have two reasons
for this.  First, editorial preference.  Second, I don't want to appear to
trivialize a tragedy by keeping it in the background.

I would plan on interviewing a number of people involved in the mission,
including the found or rescued person (or responsible adults, if it's a
child).

I'd like to weave information about MSAR--training, standards, how people
get involved, other missions, other MSAR groups, etc.--through the story.

I haven't written about emergency responders before, and my personal
experience is pretty limited.  Reading though the posts to this list has
given me some sense of what you do and how you feel about it.  I understand
a concern for the privacy of the subject of the search (I don't know the
best terminology here, though I'm sure it's not "victim").  I don't see how
I could write the story I have in mind without the consent and cooperation
of that person.  Not to mention common courtesy.

A few comments about how journalists work.

Journalists don't quote without permission.  If you talk to me, knowing I'm
a journalist working on a story (and I'll make sure you know), you give your
permission.

Journalists don't submit their stories to sources for review before
publication.  Aside from professional ethics, it is against the policy of
every newspaper and magazine I know of.

My own practice is to call--or sometimes email--the people I've interviewed
and read the quotes back to them so that they can verify, or possibly
clarify, what they said.  I include the context for the quote, and any
paraphrases of information they provided.

Journalism is about real stories.  A mock story might make a good basis for
a novel, but not for a piece of journalism.  Readers approach a magazine
article or news story with the expectation that they are reading about real
events.  Accurate details matter.

For instance, focusing on a new volunteer is a good idea for a number of
reasons, but only if the search in question actually included a rookie.

Last August one of the list members posted some information about an ongoing
search.  It took me about five minutes to find two newspaper reports that
included the name of the missing child and his parents, the town they live
in, and the fact that the search was covered by out-of-state television
crews.

Finally, a recent post mentioned asking the guy from Western Horseman
(presumably me) to send a questionnaire.  I didn't get that request, and I'm
unclear who it came from.

I hope this answers some questions without putting everyone off.  I love
horses--I expect everyone on this list loves horses.  It makes me sad,
sometimes, that they are no longer a part of daily life for most people.  So
I'm strongly drawn to stories about horses doing a job that can't be done
any other
way and demonstrating their value, endurance, and courage.

Lee Farren
Freelance Journalism
leefarren@bmi.net