News-Record.com Staff Blogs: Letters to the Editor: Stories disrespectful to grieving families: Stories disrespectful to grieving families

I'll go a step further than Cindy. Even if it was true that alcohol was involved, I think it is insensitive to publish information like that when children were involved. Do we really need to add to the anguish a family feels? I know it is the newspaper's job to report news, but I think there are times when some things are better left untold.

Posted by mr t | March 10, 2005 10:37 AM

If it makes the next kid think twice before drinking and driving, I'm all for adding to the anguish of the family by printing the info.

Posted by Bob | March 10, 2005 12:39 PM

The problem is Bob, these kids were not drinking and the News and Record only corrected the error in a smaller article, when the false information citing alcohol's involvement was front and center.

Posted by kathy | March 10, 2005 7:01 PM

Kathy is quite correct. Moreover, "a detailed explanation of the paper's handling of that story" which can be found on an editor's blog simply doesn't cut it. Why don't you put the detailed explanation in the newspaper with the same placement as you put the original article which contained false info?

Posted by SC | March 10, 2005 7:46 PM

kathy and sc,
Your points are well taken but irrelevant to my statement. Mr t's point was, even if alcohol was present why should the newspaper print it. The answer is because it might cause the next kid to think twice. We aren't discussing this specific accident, per sae.

Posted by Bob | March 11, 2005 8:36 AM

Bob has a point which I had not considered. IF alchohol was present, that would send a strong message to kids not to drink and drive. I don't know why they need any more messages, but adults don't seem to get it either. Thanks Bob for bringing up a really valid point.

Posted by mr t | March 11, 2005 9:54 AM

Absolutely. I agree that reporting wreckless driving, or drunk driving is important. If those are the cases. Have your children read the information provided by the newspaper, it could have been them. I know if I was a grieving mother, I'd want others to learn from poor judgement calls made by my child, or the child responsible for the accident.

Posted by Karen | March 11, 2005 10:56 AM

I understand and agree with your point, Bob.

Posted by SC | March 11, 2005 3:48 PM

A couple points: The placement of the second story was different from the first story, but it wasn't smaller. The first story had a two-column headline. The second story had a five-column headline. The first was higher on the page, but only by a couple inches.

We didn't put the explanation in the same place because, well, it wasn't nearly as newsworthy or relevant as the articles on the investigation. The Highway Patrol gave us some information. We printed it. They gave us different information the next day. We printed that, too. Our process wasn't necessarily faulty, except that we trusted the trooper, which 99 times out of 100 is a safe bet.

Posted by John Robinson | March 11, 2005 5:08 PM

John,

Dan Rather trusted his sources too. It about got him fired.

Posted by mr t | March 11, 2005 5:31 PM

Fortunately, the differences between Dan Rather and us are many. We had a law enforcement official with the agency conducting the investigation telling us on the record, using his name and title, what they found and what they were investigating. We also published the Highway Patrol's correction as soon as they corrected it. CBS did neither of those things.

Posted by John Robinson | March 12, 2005 9:52 AM

Posted by as | September 17, 2005 2:38 PM

Stories disrespectful to grieving families

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