I was struck with sadness each time a new piece of information came across the air that suggested Bill might have been a part of the entourage that was affected.
What made the tragedy cut a little deeper was watching Bill’s on-air family announce the devastating news of the 10 men who passed away — one who was their dear friend and co-worker.
The announcement was live, and the disbelief and mourning were happening right in front of our faces in real time. There were no edits, false starts, and no chance for the news or sports team to collect themselves before they had to get back on the air.
There was no Hollywood violence, but that broadcast was still one of the most graphic television broadcasts to me because we witnessed real emotion from a group of people we are used to seeing in a purely professional state of mind.
This brings to light a rare instance in the media. Professionals in the news cover tragedies on a somewhat regular basis. There is a certain protocol that is followed, and no matter how tragic the event, the individuals must separate themselves from the story and just report the facts.
When the facts hit so close to home, it can create a horribly painful situation. The Channel 9 news team did a superb job of relating the facts amidst their shock and grief.
They showed how much this news affected them, but still managed to focus on each of the 10 individuals who lost their life that night. I could not imagine what I would do or how I would handle reporting the death of my friend to the entire state immediately after it happened.
Once again, Oklahoma is making us all proud in a trying time. We manage to combine our feelings with our duties in order to accomplish what needs to be done, while never denying the emotional stress of the situation.
Doctors, police officers, rescue workers and paramedics all have to deal with these sorts of situations. Rarely are journalists faced with such a task of completing their duties to the world all the while mourning the loss of a friend.
We have all sensed a great loss since Saturday, and it has hit some of us a bit harder than others. The families who lost a son, a brother, a father and a husband will no doubt mourn this tragedy for some time to come. We know some of these people, others we may have never met. Some of us lost classmates, friends or colleagues.
We will mourn and carry on. Most will mourn privately, but I think that some amount of comfort will be found through those faces on our television who do not have the option of mourning privately.
At least we know that others are going through what we are, and every night when we see them, maybe it will remind us that the memories of those 10 men will never be forgotten.
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