1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Saddest story of the year

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by sirvaliantbrown, Mar 9, 2009.

  1. jps

    jps Active Member

    This is a phenomenal piece. The details here are shocking and heartbreaking. The mention of "the worst" that woman had heard of ... my God. It's a sentence that will stick with me for a very, very long time. I wanted, initially, to forward the story on to Mrs. JPS. Kind of don't think I will now, just because I know how hard she'd take it. The talk about, "What if this was a couple's only child? What if they can't have another?" Well, that's us. We've got our little angel and we can't have another baby. She's our miracle, and she's it. To think for a second of her not being home to hug me and tell me, "I missed you today, Daddy!" when I get home today ... well, just the thought and I am welling up a little.

    You almost can't help but, for a flash, seeing yourself/your child in the situation, and it almost makes you ill. It does me, anyway. Especially with me being so absent-minded sometimes. Crap, I left the house yesterday with a DVD in my hand to return to the video store. Was a day late because we hadn't watched it, so hung onto it and was gonna drop it off before work. Pull into the parking lot, look over, DVD case on the passenger seat. Completely forgot, just because my brain checked out and I went into my routine of driving in to the office.

    I don't care how strapped the auto industry is -- something like the device talked about should be in every car that rolls off the line. If they can make cars that run headlights automatically, they can make cars that save the lives of children.
     
  2. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    Not to be morbid, but when I read the thread title, I thought for sure a writer who had been laid off committed suicide, especially considered what board this is on.

    I'm glad my initial thought was unfounded.
     
  3. shockey

    shockey Active Member

    incredible. gene is now at the top of my all-reporter team. what a job.
     
  4. NoOneLikesUs

    NoOneLikesUs Active Member

    The scientific aspect of the article really impressed me.
     
  5. Baltimoreguy

    Baltimoreguy Member

    Weingarten's weekly chat online is great -- though jumping into the middle of it and having a clue what's going on with all the running jokes, disputes, etc., is impossible. Like it would be for somebody showing up on this message board for the first time.

    I read all his stuff, but I just can't read this story. I love my kids, 11 and 6, more than life itself and I still remember the time I put the older one in the backseat, then had to deal with something outside the car, then got back into the car and headed off for work. He was 3 at the time and after about 10 or 15 minutes spoke up to tell me I hadn't fastened his carseat. Fastened his carseat? I had forgotten that he was even in the car.

    My wife and I split dropoff duties, and in an instant it had slipped my mind that that day was my day to drop off. No lie -- to this day, the last thing I do everytime I get out of my car is an instinctive glance in the rearview mirror to make sure I haven't forgotten someone back there.
     
  6. J-School Blue

    J-School Blue Member

    Me, too. I'd never thought it through before, but the bit about the "lizard part" of your brain that takes over when doing routine tasks is so true. I remember one weekend when I was running an errand somewhere, and I had to take the same route I usually took to work part of the way. I was driving along, went right past the turn I should've taken to hit the store, and drove right into my office parking lot before I even thought about it.

    Fascinating, heart-breaking piece of reporting. Really good stuff.
     
  7. Frank_Ridgeway

    Frank_Ridgeway Well-Known Member

    Weingarten won a Pulitzer last year for that piece on the famous musician playing in the subway station.

    He was editor of The Miami Herald's now-defunct Sunday mag, Tropic, which was just a complete delight to read every week. There's a fan site dedicated to Tropic, with a bunch of its stories, including some of Weingarten's stuff. A bunch of Pulitzer winners among those bylines:

    http://www.tropicfan.com/
     
  8. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    I don't think it's hyperbole to say that's one of the best pieces of journalism I've ever read.

    I think I cried about four times, and the ending was like someone had driven a train into my heart.

    I wish I could make people read this kind of story, and say "See? This is why newspapers have to survive. Right here."
     
  9. DD, that's exactly what I was thinking as I read that. News media needs to survive so writers like Weingarten can tell stories like this -- powerful, staggering and heartbreaking stories that cut to the core and stay with you forever. My wife and I don't have kids yet, but when we do -- five, 10, 15 years from now -- I will still remember this story. It's the best I've read in a long time. The line about the guy who kept going to the window to check his car when the motion sensor set off the alarm absolutely wrecked me. What a haunting visual.
     
  10. I have no earthly idea how any of those folks who left their kids to die in the car didn't wind up killing themselves. No idea. My mind couldn't possibly take that much guilt, not even for a day.
     
  11. Ben There

    Ben There Guest

    Burying a child is the hardest thing a parent could ever do. And it doesn't have to be your fault to make you think about killing yourself. Trust me.
     
  12. ArnoldBabar

    ArnoldBabar Active Member

    The part about the guy who tried to take the cop's gun on the scene to kill himself ... I can definitely imagine that reaction. Surviving with that guilt, on the other hand, is beyond my comprehension.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page