Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Should the media release the names of those arrested for crimes for and they are put on trial? It may be great news for a journalist; however people's reputations hang in the balance. Bob Steele, a Nelson Poynter scholar wrote an article for Poynter online in 2001. In his article “In Pursuit of Ethical Standards” he discusses a case where seven video store customers were arrested for alleged solicitation of male prostitutes. The local police in Johnston Rhode Island held a press conference and released the names and mug shots of the individuals arrested. Consequently that information was published in the local press including the Providence Journal. Unfortunately a few days later one of the arrested men committed suicide.

The Providence Journal was criticized for its reporting, including being called unfair, unjust, and homophobic. The Journal responded that the sex business was an important issue being heavily debated before the arrests took place. The editor Joel Ralston believed that the bust by police was a “tactic to publicize and call attention to a particular crime”. Ralston continued to defend his call to publish the story by mentioning it was their policy to use the names of people arrested in their articles, in other words, “one level of coverage for all”. Ralston said he even used the names of his own papers executives and their family when they were arrested.

Bob Steele makes the argument that reporting the names of individuals who have been arrested is potentially damaging. He says by naming these people you are putting a “scarlet letter” on their fore head. The mark of misconduct is strong and even if the charges are dropped or the individual is found not guilty, that letter is hard or even impossible to erase. I couldn't agree more with Bob Steele. In a court of law you are innocent until proven guilty; in a court of public opinion you are guilty until proven innocent. Even if you're innocent it's too late. Your name is already out there and the press has labeled you guilty whether it was their intention or not.

The local press in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties repeatedly release names and mug shots of those arrested for various crimes. It's unfair to do this for many reasons. It’s simply too early in the justice process to use the name of someone arrested. What if that person is not the one police are looking for? There have been cases of mistaken identity here locally in recent months. Secondly, the person arrested has not had their day in court. How will they plead? If they plead guilty than it's okay to report. If they plead not guilty they at that point have a trial to determine their fate. When someone is convicted of a crime is when names should be published in the press and not before.

Bob Steele’s article can be read here: http://www.poynter.org/dg.lts/id.3539/content.content_view.htm

Posted by Dennis Hendrickson