Local TV station shows how old-fashioned reporting is done

Channel 4, Investigative, Lloyd Brown, News4Jax, Reporting

Local TV station shows how old-fashioned reporting is done

These days cases of true, hardcore reporting are rare, so a big Wink to News4Jax for this story.

The reporters discovered and detailed links between a recent series of shootings in Jacksonville and the hip-hop culture.

Scott Johnson and Travis Gibson obtained a copy of a warrant used to arrest Hakeem Robinson in connection with the shooting death of a 23-year-old Arlington man.

From the warrant’s contents they connected this with the January 2019 fatal shooting of Willie Addison in Spring Park.

Two weeks later, another man was shot and killed. And in January of this year another man was killed.

All are rappers.

Six people have been arrested in the past two weeks News4Jax said.

The story explains many ties to the shooters and victims in a number of cases.

It raises questions about police efforts to combat gang crime. The Cure Violence program was adopted here to prevent things like this from happening. It would be refreshing to see the news station follow up with an examination of this program’s effectiveness.

We have criticized News4Jax for some of its stories, but this was a case of solid reporting, assuming the facts to be accurate, and more local news outlets should emulate them.

Lloyd Brown

Lloyd was born in Jacksonville. Graduated from the University of North Florida. He spent nearly 50 years of his life in the newspaper business …beginning as a copy boy and retiring as editorial page editor for Florida Times Union. He has also been published in a number of national newspapers and magazines, as well as Internet sites. Married with children. Military Vet. Retired. Man of few words but the words are researched well, deeply considered and thoughtfully written.