Albuquerque Journal Staff Writer Jeff Jones is hanging up his reporter's kit for a badge.He’s joining Albuquerque Police Department’s 103rd Academy class that commences training May 27.
So what’s wrong with this picture?
Ten years ago, Jones was on the crime beat and reported on my altercations with the Police Oversight Commission and Internal Affairs. He was able to report on details of the investigation because IA investigators and supervisors fed him erroneous information. That's not surprising, but Jones failed as a reporter by not asking for the other side of the story; mine.
Later, when the criminal charges against me were dismissed, at trial, after the prosecution failed to present a prima facie case, Jones did not follow up for more than two weeks, and only then, when reporting that my attorney's case was dismissed.
Jones would blame his editors; It took awhile, but Jones and I have a collegial relationship.
Jones will probably make a pretty good cop; He was a pretty good journalist.
Click on photo to see enlarged.He knows how to talk with power, as he's seen here with Journal Photographer Roberto Rosales, left, interviewing Michelle Lujan Grisham, Oct. 11, 2007, when she announced her run for the Democratic nomination New Mexico’s Congressional District 1.
Jones also knows how to count, as he recalls details after the Feb. 3, 2008, US Sen. Hilary Clinton's Democratic pre-caucus rally at Highland High School.
Jones writes a story after covering a rally for Governor Bill Richardson's Democratic Presidential run to drum up support to have volunteers do campaign work before the Iowa caucus. He is seated below KOAT TV Photojournalist J.P. Hyso. The Journal and KOAT have a cooperative agreement to cover news and trade weather reports.
Those are three pretty basic qualities to be a good police officer.
Jones is 39, which sounds old to be getting into this business. It’s not unheard of or all that uncommon. His life experiences should serve him well.
So, good luck to Jeff in a new career where a few journalists have made a home.
Now whose going to write the news?
2 comments:
I had an article written about me back in 2002 by Jeff Jones. Not only was it mostly fiction but now it has resurfaced as an article database and is causing me a lot of trouble.
Interesting to hear he is making a career shift.I worked as a photojournalist in Gallup, NM from 1997 until 2008, and it was amazing how often people would ask me about stories that "I" wrote... people could not believe that there could be two journalists in the same state with the same (very common) name. Like him, I decided that newspapers were no longer a viable career choice.
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