By Logan Binder
Towson University students got a lesson in investigative journalism this week, when the senior editor at the Washingtonian magazine explained how he went about reporting and writing a story about the murder of a University of Virginia lacrosse player in 2010.
Harry Jaffe said he was not happy when he was assigned the Yeardley Love murder story by his editors at The Washingtonian. George Hueguely had been charged with the murder and Jaffe said he believed it was an open and shut case that no one would want to read about.
“I told my editor, ‘Hold back on it. This is a fool’s errand,’” Jaffe said. “My editor simply replied, ‘Good luck.’”
Jaffe, who spoke at Towson as part of the Department of Mass Communication and Communication Studies journalism week, said he knew he needed a good angle, so he started his research at the scene of the crime.
“That was me trying to walk my readers right where it happened,” Jaffe said.
His next step was to gather as much information as possible about the case.
“It was basic reporting. I just talked to people,” Jaffe said. “I left every interview with a question: ‘Do you know anyone else I can talk to?’”
Jaffe said he had trouble getting people to talk about Hueguely and Love because it was such a sensitive topic. He said he located several sources through his daughters, who went to public school close to where Hueguely attended private school.
“I hammered those people with questions,” Jaffe said. “My main question was, ‘What was up with George Hueguely? Why did he do this?’”
Through his research, Jaffee said he learned that many people who knew the family believed Hueguely’s father was at fault. Sources told him that Hueguely’s father often partied and got drunk with his son, Jaffee said.
“I had a great hook, and found a story that is universal,” Jaffe said. “George’s dad was a fuck up.”
Although Jaffe had a news story written at this point, he said he had two strokes of luck that helped him make the story much better. First, he looked at the public records of the divorce between Hueguely’s parents.
“George’s parents got divorced in a very ugly breakup. I got the public records before they were closed,” Jaffe said.
The second was a Virginia law forcing a public hearing of the case, since it was being sent to a grand jury.
“Before that I only had a decent story,” Jaffe said. “The hearing is where I got to add details where a portrait was drawn.”
Jaffe said he had to be sensitive when covering the story because Love’s family did not want the story to be written. The only personal reward he got from writing the article was when people told him they read the entire thing and learned something knew about the case.
“As a reporter, you have to develop an approach to disconnect yourself from all of the horror around you,” Jaffe said.