Acknowledging that journalism can inflict wounds unnecessarily, AP will no longer name those arrested for minor crimes when the news service is unlikely to cover the story’s subsequent developments. Often, such stories’ publication hinges on an odd or entertaining quirk, and the names are irrelevant. Yet, the ramifications can loom large and be long-lasting for the persons named.
Maggie Jones Patterson and Romayne Smith Fullerton
Maggie Jones Patterson, professor of journalism at Duquesne University, is former reporter for the Pittsburgh Press. She has co-authored four books, including Murder in our Midst: Comparing the Ethics of Crime Coverage in a Globalized Age (2021, Oxford University Press).
Romayne Smith Fullerton is an associate professor in the Faculty of Information and Media at University of Western Ontario.