An attempted aerial transfer of an individual (wing walker) from a Boeing A75N1 Stearman airplane, N49739, to a Hughes 269C helicopter, N7505B, resulted in a fatal injury to the wing walker during an air show performance at Selfridge Air National Guard Base (MTC), Mount Clemens, Michigan.
By Jeff Payne
Editor of The Voice Newspapers and Armada Times.
The thoughts and prayers of all at The Voice go out to the family of Todd Green, a veteran stuntman who was tragically killed at the Selfridge Air Show Sunday, Aug. 21.
Mr. Green, a second generation performer who had logged more than 25 years performing death-defying stunts, was one of the best at his craft, according to those who worked with him.
Performing a stunt that takes a high level of experience and skill - wing walking - Mr. Green was tragically killed as he attempted to grasp a passing helicopter from the wing of a biplane 200 feet in the air. When he slipped and fell to the ground thousands thought they had witnessed a ruse. But when emergency medical crews rushed in it became all too clear the incident was real.
Among those on hand were a veteran Voice photographer and a reporter from one of our parent company's sister publications. They managed to vividly chronicle the incident, along with the subsequent reactions of horror and disbelief expressed by local residents attending the biannual show.
Once they did their job, it was up to the editors of The Voice to decide how this would be presented to readers in our digital and print platforms. Much goes into such decisions. The paramount question we always ask ourselves is: Are we being accurate and fair?
In this case, I think the answer is yes.
Readers might be surprised to find out how much effort goes into doing just this. As news develops, our editors and reporters regularly consult to make sure we are moving in the right direction.
In this case, when we sent the print editions of last Wednesday's Voice to press late Monday afternoon, we settled on a descriptive story and next-day follow up containing all the information available to us. We also made the decision to include a pair of photos, one of Todd Green walking on the wing of the plane just prior to his fall and another of him falling from the plane.
Over the next couple of days, our phones, e-mail inboxes and Facebook page were busy as many readers contacted us to let us know they didn't agree with publication of the photo of Mr. Green falling.
I took most of these calls and responded to nearly every e-mail. Former President Harry Truman used to have a sign on his desk that states "The buck stops here." That may be simple, almost a cliche, but when you're in a position of authority it's important to embrace accountability.
Throughout this time some readers engaged in constructive conversations while it was clear others wanted to yell and be done with it.
Throughout these discussions, I constantly revisited the question of accuracy and fairness and reaffirmed the initial conclusion we made Monday.
Along the way, we also must consider what is appropriate for a community publication. Voice readers enjoy our papers and website not only because we report news that is close to home but because we tell stories about the community they live in. Chances are, if you live anywhere between the geographic boundaries of Hall Road to the south, Port Huron to the north, Lake St. Clair to the east and the M-19 corridor to the west, you get more local news and information about your town and the people in it in The Voice than any other media outlet provides.
However, just because we report feel-good stories about our communities, we are not let off the hook when it comes time to make the hard decisions that invoke thought, debate and sometimes anger.
This was one of those times.
Frankly, it would be easy if we didn't have to make these decisions. But if we didn't we wouldn't be doing our job.
In the wake of Mr. Green's death, his cousin told ABC News he was proud of his work.
"He was following in his father's footsteps. He had been doing this kind of thing for over 25 years," Becky Eversole Soubeyrand said.
Such pride also involved an acceptance of risk, both by Mr. Green, who was working without a safety harness, and his family. The question has been asked "If The Voice wouldn't publish a photo of a person dying in a car crash or fire, why would we show Todd Green falling to his death?"
The answer is the average person facing tragedy does not put him or herself in harm's way for the entertainment of others. Mr. Green did and, if nothing else productive comes from his death, perhaps those who stage the show will consider the safety precautions employed for similar acts in the future.
Jeff Payne is Editor of The Voice Newspapers and Armada Times.
Source: http://www.voicenews.com
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