I sit here at this desk long after the newscast is over, trying to recover from a difficult day. It is one that actually began for me...late last night.
I am a big Redskins fan. We were haing a party for the big Skins/Cowboys matchup last night when my phone rang. I didn't answer it. I didn't even check it until early this morning. That's when I found out what happened in Lusby.
We were the first crew on the scene thanks to my tip, but it didn't feel rewarding to be part of this nightmare. A 7 year old girl who had been starved and beaten by her adoptive mother managed to escape Friday night and to get help. When Calvert County Sheriff's searched the home, they found the remains of two other children stuffed into a freezer. The mother has apparently confessed.
In the middle of it all, I get a phone call. A dear friend is inviting me to a party. There will be music and food and champagne, she says. They are even hiring a limo service...I simply must come. But at that moment, I simply can't speak.
You see, I am sitting in my news vehicle, staring at a house in which a little girl was unspeakable tortured. It is a house in which two other children were stored in a freezer, their life and deaths both unrecorded and unnoticed by this world. How can a world of parites coexist with one of such pain. I am simply unable to respond to the invitation..and quickly hang up.
I know many viewers may think our day ends when teh camera lights go out, but that is often untrue. Most journalist I know carry the weight of the world that they witness. We report on these tragedies because it is our job, and because many of us still wish to believe that we can change the future by reporting on the present. Sadly, that is rarely the case.
I never met the 7 year old girl who so bravely heaved her frail and broken body out a window to claim her freedom. But I will dream of her tonight. And I hope that somewhere in my soul, I can find a fraction of her courage when I need it. At the end of the day, I spoke with someone who had knowledge of those caring for the child right now. I was told she is quite the survivor..and that she is smiling. We should all be so grateful.
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It all started with an email from the station. I was on vacation at the beach and received word that the Jonas Brothers were in town, and we had exclusive access. Joe Feeney, the planning editor, asked if I would like to do this story.
Needless to say, the thought of racing off to an intense, all-day shoot as soon as I got back from vacation gave me pause...until the screams of my niece caught my attention. Kristen is ten, well...she would say "ALMOST ELEVEN," and according to her and her 15 year old sister Lyndsey, the Jonas Brothers are "completely awesome". So, unable to resist the chance to impress my nieces, I agreed to this assignment.
Our day began at the White House with an unusual bunch or reporters. Suddenly I was surrounded by Twist magazine, KOL.com, the washingtonpost.com/post rock columnist and a hilarious video producer working with Newsweek. Those of us out of our twenties were taking a tongue-in-cheek approach to the DAY OF THE JONAS...playfully interviewing each other in the White House briefing room. Then, they arrived.
Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas are ages 15, 19 and 20 respectively. And for all of the larger than life hype...they are physically small and personally quite sweet. Even this slightly (okay...more than slightly) cynical reporter had to be impressed by such polite, well-composed young men. They graciously signed autographs for, and took pictures with, a handful of lucky kids in the room. And when one of our small group told them we'd be following them all day, one of the boys..I think Joe...somewhat tellingly said "Good Luck."
I quickly understood what the young man meant. Everywhere they go, a crush of screaming, crying, clawing tween and teen girls were waiting. They were outside the White House and outside Madame Tussauds' Wax Museum...where the wax statues of the brother Jonas were unveiled.
Although my time with the brothers was brief...a few hours...I think I got a relatively good read on them. They appeared more than a little uncomfortable at the wax museum where dozens of swooning girls were only a few feet from pouncing. And they were clearly aware of the need to be humble while standing on the White House lawn. They resisted the gentle prodding of one reporter asking them to make a political statement, and stuck to their well-rehearsed message on children's health and fitness.
But above all, I will remember the moment we stepped out of our press van and into the mass of fans outside the wax museum. We had to be escorted through the crowd who were screaming and grabbing for their cherished idols. As we ran into the garage I felt both exhilarated..and sad. One day shadowing a rock star is fun, but a steady diet of that lifestyle simply can't be healthy. I will continue to wonder about those young men, and to hope they remain as seemingly sweet as they were this day. Although I first scoffed at what I viewed as a silly assignment, I now know was a great opportunity to glance at a lifestyle many envy...but few are able to survive.
In the end...the Jonas Brothers may be happy to know they now have at least one fan...in a slightly older demographic.
Pictures from Stacey's day with the Jonas Brothers
