How media collaboration works in a crisis

Word of an active shooter in Pittsburgh was enough to stop Pennsylvania journalists in their tracks, especially those of us with ties to the western part of the state.

As the tragic details became public, our thoughts at WITF/PA Post turned to our colleagues at WESA with the realization they would be facing several long and emotional days covering a mass shooting – one believed to be the deadliest against the Jewish community in our nation’s history.

We know what they’re facing because WITF has faced it too, covering the crash of Flight 93 on 9/11, and dealing with the mass shooting of school girls at the West Nickel Mines Amish Schoolhouse in October 2006. The tragedies, and their aftermaths, require physical and emotional stamina–and support.

While WESA’s team worked round the clock covering a horrific story and its impact on the Pittsburgh community, we wanted to offer as much support as possible. So, the decision was made to offer two of our reporters and an editor to assist their efforts. We also made plans to send their newsroom lunch (pizza fuels breaking news coverage) and took up a collection from our content/news teams.

Public media is a small community (especially in Pennsylvania) and over the years, we have built strong collaborative relationships, especially with WESA, WHYY and WPSU. So, we wanted to make sure our friends in Pittsburgh knew we had their backs.

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WITF Public Media’s Chief Content Officer Cara Williams Fry, Multimedia News Director Tim Lambert and PA Post editor Scott Blanchard contributed this story.