Good morning, Redwood City!
Michelle Iracheta here, thinking a bit about a conversation I had with rotarians yesterday about covering issues related to criminal justice.
My first "real, big girl" job as a reporter was covering cops and courts in a small community, and we didn't have a policy on how we covered crime. If someone was arrested for ANYTHING, we wrote about it, and their mugshot likely ended up in the paper. We had a daily police blotter, so all crime was reported and people were named, and then the next day, you knew whether your auntie or uncle had drunk one too many and caused a scene outside their home. It didn't feel like we were contributing to that do no harm or aloha spirit that a small community may have once been used to.
Today, as an editor, I try to take a different approach. That effort began before joining Embarcadero Media during my time at the Houston Chronicle, with a shift from covering all crime to covering more critical issues. A crucial part of that was the topic of whether to publish mugshots. We do, sometimes. There has been a gradual shift to move away from using them as these could damage someone's reputation, say if a criminal case is dismissed. Our policy today on naming suspects is only to name them if there has been a charge. All Embarcadero Media publications use the approach, so you will see it in the Palo Alto Weekly, Almanac, Mountain View Voice, etc.
I also want to remind you that you can always call on me if you have questions or comments about something you find questionable or just curious about something.
I hope you have a great day!
Your editor, Michelle
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