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Why post 911 calls or police radio traffic?

The police radio traffic and 911 call have been released in the case of Courtland Smith, the UNC student who was shot and killed by an officer Sunday.

As a reader, you might question how the News & Record decides to post a 911 call online.

Michael Grossman, the director of new media content, schooled me on the policy. He said:

“Generally, we’ll post the audio – or excerpts – if it adds some context to the story. If it’s just hysterical screaming and provides little details about the crime, or it’s just too difficult to follow what is going on, we won’t use it. But in those cases, having the 911 call might help you the reporter.”

In Smith's case, reporters can only get so much information from the police. The calls and police radio traffic provides more details of the incident, such as Smith’s condition as he drove down Interstate 85 in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

The News & Record has released other 911 calls in the past. One came from the man who followed bank robbery suspects in February. One came from a man and woman who were later charged with homicide of a 4-year-old girl in March.