The Chattanooga Times Free Press has received criticism
after it ran a front page story showing the mugshots
of 32 men that were arrested in an investigation of the city’s crack trade. All
of the suspects were black and described by police as the “worst of the
worst.” The paper got feedback describing its coverage as racist and irresponsible.
There was disagreement inside the newsroom over whether or not to run the mugshots at all or to put them inside the paper so fewer people would see them. The use of the 32 mugshots got more attention (even if a lot of it was negative) than previous coverage of the investigation that appeared about a week earlier without the photos.
There was disagreement inside the newsroom over whether or not to run the mugshots at all or to put them inside the paper so fewer people would see them. The use of the 32 mugshots got more attention (even if a lot of it was negative) than previous coverage of the investigation that appeared about a week earlier without the photos.
Would you have run the mugshots on the front page?
Does reporting the truth outweigh public backlash over how a
publication presents the news?
I probably would've run the mugshots on the front page even though 32 mugshots of all black suspects does seem excessive. If those are the 32 people the police have nabbed thus far in the investigation, then the public should question whether or not law enforcement are racial profiling rather than accuse the paper of being racist. I believe reporting the truth does outweigh public backlash over how a publication presents the news. Just like when many news outlets released photos of the navy yard shooter and received negative feedback from the public. It's the media's job to give the public information so they can form opinions on the subject rather than spare feelings to avoid negative attention.
ReplyDeleteThe publication was only presenting the information it was given, so I do not believe the public should perceive it as racism. The 32 mugshots were actual people arrested, and the police opinion stating that the arrested men were the "worst of the worst" should not be wrongfully attributed to the publication, as it seems it was. I agree with Judy, that I would have run the mugshots, because even if 32 was a bit excessive, those pictures were the truth. The public needs to see all of the details, even if those details aren't favored.
ReplyDeleteThe Chattanooga Times Free Press was performing its duty to inform the people about important news in their area. While the fact that all 32 suspects are black is notable, I think it is a much bigger statement about the police department and crime in Chattanooga than it is the newspaper. The police calling these suspects "the worst of the worst" is an important thing to report, even if it appears to be a racist comment. It is the responsibility of the newspaper to report that, and place it on the front page because it is a very newsworthy story, even if its easier to blame the issue on the newspaper than on the larger problems it represents.
ReplyDeleteThe newspaper was doing its public duty by publishing the mugshots of the 32 suspects, even though it might seem racist since the suspects were all black. The most important point in this case is that the paper reported that the police called the suspects "the worst of the worst;" the reporters did not come up with this phrase, themselves. If publications never published stories such as this in fear of being seen as racist, the truth would never be exposed. Reporters must publish news, even if it is controversial, to fulfill their duty to their readers.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I definitely would have refrained from using the police label of the suspects as "the worst of the worst". When I think of the association of someone being described in that way, the crime of selling crack really doesn't come to mind. I would consider rapists, murderers, child molesters as more detriments to society than those who sell drugs as the drug war in this country is an incredibly complicated issue in this country that is often misconstrued. However, I would have posted the mugshots on the front page since this incident is probably the biggest thing to happen in a place like Chattanooga in quite some time. While I can definitely see how many viewed the coverage of this incident as racist; I think it was just an unfortunate coincidence that all the suspects were black. Ultimately, I believe the paper really didn't mean for the their coverage of the incident to come off as racist and it was just a honest mistake by them to categorize it in that way.
ReplyDeleteI don't particularly see the point in including the mugshots. It's not inherently racist - facts are facts - but it doesn't augment or enhance the story in any way. We would still know the story without seeing the faces of those arrested. The story is still true without them.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with running the quote calling them "the worst of the worst." The story needs context, and a police spokesman commenting on the nature of those people is what makes the story interesting and relevant to the area.