LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Minors and the media

As we report the news, my staff and I often find that we cover sensitive issues, and unfortunately, they often involve minors.  

When we come across those issues with youth in the spotlight, my staff and I put a great deal of thought into how we cover them. When it’s youth sports or a school play, the coverage is relatively simple. We coordinate coverage with the coaches, teachers and administrators at the various school districts in our coverage area. They let us know if a student or athlete has an approval form signed by parents or guardians allowing them to be in the paper and help us navigate coverage. The hope is that we bring positive attention to the young folks we cover in those instances so that they can get scholarships, have a full audience when a play opens or overcome a challenge. 

It isn’t always a black-and-white issue though, so we have to navigate the proverbial waters carefully.  

Over the last few weeks, we’ve had some sensitive issues come to the fore in the Basin. Transgender athletics, an unidentified person being hurt in an electrical accident at a school campus and a minor being sentenced for a shooting at the Grant County Fairgrounds last fall are all issues we’ve had to cover. In yesterday’s paper, we touched on a terrifying incident in which a dog attacked an infant. There are also cases where we have to cover a court case involving sexual abuse of a child. 

As we cover these issues, we primarily consider whether the coverage will harm the children involved in the incidents that have made headlines. A minor committing a criminal act can devastate their future if they come to terms with their mistakes and grow from the situation. A sexual abuse victim being identified can lead to additional traumas such as bullying and humiliation which in turn lead to serious mental health consequences children, whether 7 or 17, simply aren’t equipped to manage.  

Are there exceptions to such things? Yes, but generally it is the minor and their guardians who come to us and make the decision to be in the spotlight. When that happens, we make it a point to discuss the ramifications of the coverage with them so they’re walking into the situation fully informed.  

Each situation is unique and there are occasions when the children who perpetrate crimes or are the victims of crimes want to empower themselves to keep others from going through what they went through. In those cases, provided they’re making a fully informed decision, we will help them get that message out.  

In most cases though, we simply don’t identify minors involved in situations that are controversial and will have increased consequences if the person is named. Any exception is thought through, even to the point that I’ll call colleagues at other publications to ask for insight on how they feel the situation should be dealt with. Whether they’re an editor at a paper, a professor in a journalism school or a publisher who’s been in the industry for decades, there are times that such guidance is important. 

The concept of minimizing harm, as put forward in the Society for Professional Journalists Code of Ethics (https://bit.ly/SPJETHICS), is always at the top of my mind, whether youth are involved in a situation or not. Even when only adults are involved, I ask myself, “Is this more important for the person to be protected, or is it more important for the community to be informed?” 

That isn’t always an easy question to answer, and I am glad I get it right the majority of the time.  

That said, if you’re ever frustrated regarding someone not being identified in a news piece, try to remember a key trick I apply often. That is, I simply ask myself whether the harm is greater for the community to know the person’s name or for the person to remain unidentified.  

Thank you for your readership, 

R. Hans “Rob” Miller
Managing Editor
Columbia Basin Herald
Basin Business Journal