What Would Edna Do?

Edna Buchanan, reporter and author, is fierce, fearless, and fascinating; an inspiration for aspiring journalists and writers alike.

She covered the "mean streets" of Miami for eighteen years, reported over 5,000 violent deaths for the Miami Herald, and in 1986 won a Pulitzer Prize for general reporting, but general is the last word I'd use to describe Edna. 

Her determination to always get the story and never give up was commendable. "Ask one more question, knock on one more door, make one last phone call, and then another," said Buchanan." It could be the one that counts."

Besides being a seeker of truth and justice, her compassion often led her to be a voice for the victims. She said she felt haunted by the restless souls of those whose killers walk free. "Somebody owes them. And nobody is trying to collect."

In addition to reporting news, her stories appeared to be an outlet for her to pay respect to the victims and their families. She felt compelled to report every murder and every death, "to preserve them in our newspaper, in our files, in our consciousness, on record forever, in black and white."

It wasn't courage, conviction, or compassion alone that made Edna extraordinary but also her ingenious approach to getting answers and writing her story. She was once responsible for a hit-and-run driver's confession by asking only one question, "Do you remember the accident?"