St. Paul man shot by police

A Man was fatally shot by St. Paul police when, according to police, he rushed them with a knife. This story was covered in both the Star Tribune, through the AP, and the Pioneer Press, through a local reporter.

The leads for them differ mainly in that the Pioneer Press opens up with a quote overheard by witnesses: "A knife-wielding man screamed, "F--- you, cops!'" It's a sensational way to open up the story. I'm not sure if it's necessarily respectful to the guy who died considering that not all the information about the shooting is out yet, or to his family. I realize the AP has guidelines against including profanity without need so it's understandable that it's not included in their story. Both authors then give the description of his girlfriend being "huddled in fear" The AP article does not go in to much depth, taking all the quotes from the police spokesperson, while the Pioneer Press contains quotes from neighbors as well as police which provide background information to the incident. However, the AP manages to get the names of the officers involved while the PP doesn't.

These stories show two different approaches; the traditional AP and a more spectacular and personal approach. For the purposes of the AP the official incident is probably enough but for local readers the descriptions of streets and neighbors is more interesting.