The Radio & Television News Association of Southern California has released a comprehensive look at media relations between members of the Los Angeles Press Corps and the region’s two largest law enforcement agencies, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The “State of Media Relations” report was the culmination of a survey sent to more than one-hundred-twenty reporters, videographers, editors and news managers. The survey questions were culled from a series of complaints received over the years by the RTNA’s Media Access Committee. The survey also allowed for narrative comments. And, for the first time, the RTNA included participants from newspapers and digital media.
RTNA President Chris Little said, “This report was created to get a better sense of how the media feel about interacting with law enforcement, and if deficiencies exist, how we can work together to fix them. We have reviewed the report with LAPD Chief Moore, and Sheriff McDonnell and both were very appreciative and receptive of the results. This report was not created to attack an organization or individual it was simply a way to know how the members of the press feel about working with the LAPD and the LASD.”