Funeral protocol a sensitive subject at newspapers

Phoenix motorcycle officers lead a funeral procession for Phoenix Police Officer David Uribe near Cotton Lane and McDowell Road. The officer was slain during a routine traffic stop in Phoenix in 2005.

With the funeral of Buckeye police officer Rolando Tirado for tomorrow in Avondale, it's an appropriate time to discuss what the public can expect to see from news agencies as they come out to cover the services of the slain officer.

Typically, in events like these — when a police officer or soldier is killed in the line of duty — newspapers and television stations have the difficult task of covering the event from a news angle. Reporters and photographers have to balance the coverage of the event with the mourning and grief of the family and friends. It's a tricky balancing act, but it must be done to inform the public on the people who lay down their lives to serve and protect.

Members of the Patriot Guard Riders hold flags during the Litchfield Park funeral services of Army Sgt. Brice Pearson, who was killed when a bomb detonated in a building he was occupying in Iraq in 2007. The Patriot Guard Riders is a group of motorcycle riders who hold flags outside of soldiers funerals. They also shield mourning family members from protestors.

With the deaths of police officers, firefighters and members of the military, typically there is a member from the deceased's agency — police for police, fire for fire, military for military — that serves as a point of contact with the media. Sometimes a member of the family will serve in this position and work directly with reporters. This contact serves as a buffer between the media and the immediate family. In the early stages after the death, this person will provide background on the deceased, coordinate photographs for print and broadcast purposes, and then inform the media about funeral services. Families who work with the media view it not as a violation of their mourning, but as an opportunity to frame their loved ones as they saw them — as mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, or as heroes. Families who do not work with the media do so usually out of concerns of privacy, and their wishes are (usually) respected by members of the press.

Members of the Arizona National Guard Honor Guard escort the casket of Pfc. Jesus Najera of Buckeye, from the chapel at St. Henry Catholic Church in Buckeye. Najera, a 2005 graduate of Buckeye Union High School,  was killed in 2006 by a lightning strike while participating in a training exercise at Gwangju Air Base in South Korea.

When it comes to reporting or photographing inside funeral services, the immediate family of the deceased usually decides on how much the media is involved. Some families allow complete access. Others refuse all requests and have a closed ceremony. With higher profiles funerals, like that of a slain police officer, reporters and photographers will typically cover the procession and any graveside services that are open to the media. They will also feature the reactions of strangers, people who were moved by the story or of the officer's sacrifice. It's not uncommon to see newspaper photos of people watching the funeral procession with head bowed, hand on heart or waving an American flag.

Some readers might think that photographing people in grief is cruel and exploitative. That's certainly a danger in covering funerals, but reporters and photographers — including those at the West Valley View — have learned to do it respectfully and with compassion.