I'm inclined to agree with a couple of points that our classmate Van made about the Kristof hypotheticals: I think naming anyone before an arrest is made is unethical, and I don't think reporters should let the pleas of the suspect or the suspects' lawyer/family/coach be the deciding factor about whether or not to publish their story.
That said, I'm not sure I would avoid publishing something about a few of these stories. Although for me, the JonBenet Ramsey case is a non-starter; it's an old case that seems to drum up new potential suspects fairly frequently. But the other two stories are more difficult to resist because they could directly involve other members in the community getting hurt.
I might attempt attacking these stories from a different angle. For example, in the first scenario we know the police have seized barrels of chemicals from foreign men in town. Since these men are still being questioned for poisoning the local reservoir, I would not include that in the story--it isn't fact. But the barrels of chemicals DO exist, and I would feel responsible to report that. I would not name anyone, and I probably wouldn't even mention that the men were foreign. Perhaps I would just include the information I knew as a little sidebar, and note that investigation was ongoing.
The third hypothetical situation gives me the most trouble. While there has been no arrest (the police aren't even involved at all) and the coach should not be named, the fact that he has left three schools with a shady reputation should not be overlooked completely. I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing this particular coach into the public eye without more proof, but I might suggest writing a story in general about how often sexual misconduct happens in schools. Perhaps making more parents (and thus hopefully their kids) conscious of this issue would allow this story to bubble up on its own.
NB C-notes
14 years ago
2 comments:
I agree with your comments about the chemicals and the JonBenet stories. The third story is a bit tricky. I would probably choose to investige more closely the prior dismissals of the teacher. I wuld also investigate the four school's history of dealing with questions of teacher misconduct.
If that produces enough evidence then I would probably approach the police with the information I have gathered. I would simultaneously doing as you suggested, i.e., write a general story about student/teacher relationships and possible abuses of that trust.
I would end by encouraging parents and students to report to the police when this trust is broken. I would continue to monitor the situation and do a follow-up piece if necessary.
Good points, Esthina. I wondered about approaching the police, too... I assume it happens on a regular basis with reporters--that they uncover enough information to warrant the police's attention--but I don't know what the rules are regarding those circumstances.
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