Identifying relatives of those charged with crimes
Today we identified a person charged with felonies as the stepson of the man who, until recently, was the top Washington State Patrol officer in North Central Washington.
It was a decision that was made after several newsroom conversations.
We made the decision for two main reasons: The high position held by the State Patrol officer, which makes him a well-known figure, and the violent nature of the incident that led to these drug-related charges.
We made a similar decision earlier this year to name another son of a law enforcement official in this case. This officer was a candidate for Douglas County sheriff in 2006 and, like the State Patrol commander, is a well-known figure.
We made the decision for two main reasons: The high position held by the State Patrol officer, which makes him a well-known figure, and the violent nature of the incident that led to these drug-related charges.
Russ,
The above is insufficient reason for including the name of the relative, in my judgment.
Knowing that the person accused of a crime is related to someone whose name might be recognized amounts to nothing but sensationalism…it places the Wenatchee World right up there journalistically with the National Enquirer.
I didn’t recognize the step-dad’s name when I read it in print, and I saw no reason for the paragraph in which it appears…delete that paragraph from the report, and you have a complete story of what happened and to whom it happened.
Alex