ENGINEERING CONSULTANT IN THE NEWSROOM

The editor of the Kansas City Star recounts his paper's hiring a structural engineer to work with reporters investigating the collapse of the skywalks of the Hyatt-Regency Hotel. This enabled the paper to ascertain the causes of the disaster and publish them only four days later in language that avoided both oversimplication and excessive technical jargon. From this experience, the author concludes that engineers would do well to establish rapport with reporters. Careful explanations of the "whys" of a structural failure will improve the public's understanding of what engineers are trying to deal with. Engineers should also be available if a reporter asks to call back and doublecheck the technical aspects of what's been written so as to insure accuracy.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Society of Professional Engineers

  2029 K Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20006
• Authors:
  • Levings, D W
• Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 11-13
• Serial:
  • Professional Engineer
  • Volume: 53
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: National Society of Professional Engineers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accuracy; Engineers; Failure; Newspapers; Reports; Structural mechanics
• Uncontrolled Terms: Reporting; Structural failures
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Law; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00380732
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 30 1984 12:00AM