Public Safety Reporting Policy

Guiding principles

Newsroom resources are finite. We must choose only the most significant incidents and cases to bring to higher public notice.

Coverage decisions are guided by who is impacted. People personally affected will often weigh heavier than property crimes. There's also the question of the impact of the crime in question. A vacant house fire or an intentionally set garage fire may not rise to the level of newsworthiness for WCBU, but a string of several such fires suggesting a pattern may.

We should also look at crime not in isolation, but in the wider context of socio-economic factors that offer solutions, not just problems or process.

What we cover

• Homicides
• Fatal fires
• Traffic incidents if...
  
  • Someone is killed
  • Involves an elected/public official (i.e. officer-involved, DUI/DWI)
• Non-fatal shootings if...
  
  • Police shoot someone
  • A child 12 or under is injured
  • 3 or more people are shot
  • Shots fired near a school, hospital, mall or other highly populated area that makes it a substantial public safety issue.
• Elected / public official’s arrest
• Kidnappings
• Truly unusual crime
  

Misdemeanors do not merit coverage unless it's a public figure involved or there is another extraordinary factor at play.

When names are used

Those arrested or charged with felonies should be named. If an arrestee/defendant is named, WCBU has an obligation to report on the resolution of their criminal case. See Courts section.

WCBU does not name juveniles in criminal cases, even if their case proceeds in adult court. Defendants who turn 18 during their proceedings may be named on a case-by-case basis.

WCBU does not name victims unless there's an extraordinary circumstance. Those would need to be discussed and approved on a case-by-case basis.

Mugshots

WCBU does not use mugshot photos except in rare cases, such as a manhunt involving an at-large suspect who is a risk to the public.

Mugshots add little to the public record. And they may have an outsized impact on the subject of the photo, long after a case has been adjudicated and is not publicly relevant.

We think it is ethical and responsible to generally avoid mugshots without harming our commitment to accurate journalism.

Suicides

WCBU does not cover suicides, except in an extreme circumstance to be decided on a case-by-case basis. The wider trends of increasing/decreasing suicides and behavioral health resources in the area and their efficacy are newsworthy, but singling out families by focusing on individual instances of people taking their own lives does not necessarily serve this goal or provide the required sensitivity.

Courts

If WCBU names an arrestee/defendant, it has an obligation to report on the resolution to their criminal case. WCBU’s News Director (or designee) shall maintain a list of active cases involving named defendants that includes the frequency of checks on their current status. WCBU will then, at minimum, report on the resolution of their case -- typically whether charges were dropped, or the defendant was acquitted, or their sentence if convicted.

The most serious cases may merit additional coverage, up to and including trial coverage. The baseline coverage for trials would be opening statements, closing arguments, and verdict.

Sourcing

Initial coverage of crime almost always relies on police or prosecutors as sources. They are the first responders and those who make decisions whether to charge someone with a crime.

In those cases that do merit follow-up coverage, however, WCBU should find balance by seeking defense attorneys and non-institutional context.

Lawsuits

WCBU considers coverage if a lawsuit involves a major employer, a well-known person in the community or a government body. The threshold to cover is quite high.

Most lawsuits are settled, so coverage should include a resolution to the case, something that requires a reporter to keep the case on their radar.

Lawsuits against government bodies will not always merit coverage and will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Civil rights cases against county and state agencies are worth following if they state a reasonable claim that can be explored further with a plaintiff’s lawyer.

Story Removal / Takedown Requests

Many chapters of a person’s life do not remain relevant or important for the public to know and undue harm can come to a person’s life or reputation if digital records persist long after an incident loses public relevance. WCBU recognizes this as a general truth. This “Right to be Forgotten” policy strikes a balance between the duty WCBU has to inform the public and the harm it might do to an individual later.

Submit your takedown or change request.

As a matter of editorial policy, takedown requests will be rarely granted. A panel of WCBU Newsroom staff will vet all such requests. If available, the reporter on the story in question will also be consulted. If the person making the request alleges our work is inaccurate, the corrections and clarification policy will come into play.

When we consider takedown requests:

• If prosecutors drop previously filed charges
• If prosecutors never file charges following an arrest
• If someone is under threat of physical harm because of the existence of the story
• If the case has been expunged or sealed
• If the case has led to executive clemency

There may also be situations in which fairness requires an existing story to be updated or follow-up coverage, rather than a story removal.

Here’s what we typically do not consider: We won’t remove names or articles in the case of serious violent crimes, sexually based crimes or crimes against children leading to a conviction. We also won’t remove names or stories in cases of public corruption or in cases where people hold a position of public trust, such as doctors, police officers and educators, when those cases lead to a conviction.