Thoughts on being a reliable eyewitness
Every time I read or hear about breaking news, I consciously strive not to immediately take it in hook, line and sinker. Nothing convinces me about this more than every news report that I have come across that was subsequently found to have disputable facts because an eyewitness provided information that they hadn’t confirmed.
A couple of days ago, I woke up early to brisk walk as I often do. That day was different from my usually uneventful walks as I observed the tail end of an accident. My route usually includes walking from my house to part of Ago Palace Way and it was here that I saw the accident. As I was about to walk past the entrance into one of the side streets, I noticed a lot of people clustered by the gate. They were looking into the street as a vehicle swayed without control before eventually hitting a building. I decided to pause for a bit and the next thing I saw was a policeman holding his gun, attempting to run out of the street whilst being restrained by some men. He eventually got onto the main road before he was dragged back into the street.
I was quite confused as I couldn’t tell what had happened exactly. I saw a lady who had just come out of the side street shouting as the policeman was attempting to run off so I asked her what happened. She said the policeman had shot someone and had then tried to escape by driving away before running into the building. She also mentioned that some children were also hit in the process. That didn’t sound right to me as I hadn’t heard a gunshot while walking. Besides, if I had somehow missed hearing it, I would most likely have seen people running away.
I turned to another man who had also just come out of the street and asked if he knew what had happened. He said that the policeman was driving the car and his brakes failed so he rammed into a compound. Unfortunately for him, there were some kekes (motorised tricycles) just in front of the compound and he hit one of them which was carrying a woman and some school children. I was already running late so I didn’t wait to investigate further.
His account appeared a bit more sensible and I wondered why the woman had conjured a story without having all of the details. By the time the story made the news, the reportage was much closer to the narrative I got from the man. What had happened was that LASTMA traffic officials had accosted the driver of a car for driving against traffic. A policeman attached to the LASTMA team was escorting the vehicle to the LASTMA office and in the driver’s bid to escape, he turned into the side street and drove into a building, hitting a keke in the process. Another report had it that the policeman had tried taking over the steering from the driver and the struggle for control led to the vehicle swaying and eventually losing control. The car hit a keke which had the keke driver, a pregnant woman and her two children onboard. Sadly, the keke driver died instantly, the pregnant woman died at the hospital, and her two children were placed in intensive care.
When I read the official report, I wondered why people make up stories when they could very well admit that they don’t have all the information. Why does someone try to fill in the gaps for their limited knowledge without thinking about the possible implications of their action? I can never understand it. The first person I spoke with could simply have said she wasn’t sure what had happened. As it was, her story (wherever she got it from) was probably the general perspective at the time because it seemed everyone in the area assumed that the policeman was solely responsible for the accident.
I suspect it’s partly because there is some sort of honour with being “first to post”. Some people want to be seen as being in on the scoop. Even though the story may not be fully formed, they are quick to fill in the gaps just so they can say they heard it or saw it first. Some others may be quick to add one plus one together, unfortunately, they usually arrive at eleven and not two because they haven’t gathered adequate information or the right type of information.
Being an eyewitness is a huge responsibility, especially in these times when fake news fills the air. As an eyewitness, one has a ringside seat in an event. Their testimony about what they have witnessed can make a difference in how the facts behind the event are treated. An eyewitness’s account can be quite useful in generating the official position of the event so the more objective the report is, the better. The eyewitness’s account could also be used in court. It isn’t every day that one happens on a potential breaking news but if we do, I have some thoughts about how we should approach it.
As an eyewitness, you should have observed the event in real time. You must be able to determine what has happened by yourself without any bias being expressed. What did you see? What did you hear? What other details appear material to the event? Presence of mind is especially critical at this time. Some people believe it may be hard to think in an organised manner when in a fast-evolving situation but as far as one can restrain themselves from being moved by the crowd, it is very possible.
It is also important to document the event as quickly as possible. Video and pictures are good, voice notes also recording your opinion and the facts as seen in the moment, can also be quite useful. The challenge with delaying in recording what one observes is that one can easily forget little details which may be material to the event. Capturing the event on pictures and videos also provides material for the independent judgment of the facts as presented.
A final step would then be to speak with other people who have witnessed the event to reconfirm the facts that you have collected. Do other people share your perspective? Are your facts consistent with other eyewitnesses? Do they have additional insights that you may have missed?
If you ever find yourself in an eyewitness position, do know that you owe the world the opportunity to present the true state of events as observed. Resist the urge to fill in the gaps when you may not have all of the information. There is nothing wrong in admitting this. Your testimony may just make the difference in how the facts are reviewed and determined. Do the world some good and provide reliable, verifiable, content. This is the way I see things today!