Sometimes, some of the news isn’t fit to print

As some of you may know, I teach a journalism course at Orange Coast

College. This week, the class discussion concerned the publication of

certain facts and how newspapers have rules on what should and

shouldn’t get into print.

This may surprise some of you, but we do, as part of the editing

process, filter out information that may not be pertinent to the

readers.

Reporters will often bring back pages and pages of notebook

material. And out of those pages, probably half of that or less will

actually make it into print. There’s so much that we learn and know

that isn’t fit for readers’ consumption.

Gruesome details on crimes and gossipy rumors that spread

throughout a town but are unsubstan- tiated are some examples. We

hear it, we note it down, we investigate it, but we don’t necessarily

print it.

We also leave out information purposely, like names of crime

victims. Here’s a little excerpt from our handbook:

“In most instances, there is no reason for us to name crime

victims. ... The thought is that, as responsible community

journalists, we’re not in the business of bringing shame, hurt and

the possibility of retribution to the little old lady whose purse was

snatched. That just doesn’t make sense.”

We also keep out the names of rape victims and names of minors

arrested for crimes unless they are to be charged as an adult.

The latter was the subject of some newsroom debate last week.

We were following a story in which a 17-year-old male had

carjacked an auto and taken police on a chase.

As the chase ended and the teen was being arrested, our

photographer Don Leach was on the scene snapping away.

Later, as we were deciding where to place the story in the paper,

city editor James Meier brought some photos into my office. One photo

was of the car as it sat after the chase, the other was of the teen

being handcuffed and taken away by police officers.

“How old is he?” I asked.

“Seventeen,” Meier said.

“Then we can’t run that photo,” I said.

Thus began a debate between me and the photo department about the

shot. It was the best of the bunch they argued, and I agreed, but

sometimes those are the tough decisions we have to make. Decisions

that sometimes pit the best journalism against our principles and

values.

Our principles and values were the winners that day, and the

readers didn’t get to see the best photo.

That was the lesson I was teaching my class and that I found we

still are learning in the newsroom. We have a responsibility as

journalists to give the readers all the information they need to

know, but keep out information that can be harmful or offensive to

them or others.

It’s all part of the debate we undertake each day, a debate I

encourage you readers to take part in, as well. And I’ll leave you

with another line from that handbook on crime victims that sums it up

nicely:

“Case-by-case discussion with the editors is welcomed.”