Running juvenile names

I can't believe I forgot to mention the biggest thing that happened last week and over break: We decided to run the names of two juvenile defendants, which goes against our standard policy and the policy of many outlets.

To see our explanation, read Editor Brittany Kress' note. After a standard e-mail orgy among the editors, Brittany decided that the extreme nature of the case combined with the national exposure was cause to name the juvenile defendants. Some news outlets (The Plain Dealer and all other Athens local news outlets) did not run the name. Others (CNN, The Washington Post, The Columbus Dispatch) did. It was definitely a tough call.

Brittany sent this link from Poynter Online, a journalism resource center, about identifying juveniles. It has some interesting things to consider when running juvenile names. Using the amount of "exposure," as this writer suggests, was controversial to some Post editors. I tend to agree that if the case already has high exposure and a public arrest, it does make a difference to me when deciding whether to run the name, but this certainly cannot be the only factor in the decision.

Anyway, thought I'd give more food for thought.