On May 25, 2010, our editorial board completed two versions of the story, “Student Caught on Tape Breaking into Lockers”. One version included the name of the student who admitted to stealing items from the boys locker room, the other left him anonymous.
We understood from the beginning that there were several potential legal road blocks that stood in the way of running the story mentioning the name of the student.
This was not a spur of the moment decision. Only a core group of six reporters knew the exact details of the story. In total, more than thirty hours were spent researching, discussing, and reporting the story.
As more time passed and sources revealed more information, the story became more compelling. After making several calls and interviewing many sources, we completed both versions of the story.
Upon completion of both stories, our adviser instructed us to contact several legal sources, including the Michigan Press Association and the Student Press Law Center.
One source encouraged us to run the version including the student’s name.
After a 15 minute discussion with our adviser and an editor, the other legal source ultimately suggested we use the version without the name.
These reservations, did not, we’re told, place us in direct danger of legal liability. They did, however, not completely clear The Highlander, the student reporters, and Seaholm High School from liability.
Along with the advice that we received, we chose not to run the story with names due to the lack of a few additional sources to confirm what has already been told to us.
The editorial board held several meetings regarding this story, and have discussed for considerable time to plan the best possible way to handle writing and publishing this story.
While much of our discussion surrounded on the question of whether to name the student, we also considered each step very carefully as we pursued the story.
This story has never been about passing judgment, deciding punishments nor following personal agendas.
This story, from the beginning, has been about one thing only: telling the truth.
Finding the truth, no matter what the story will always be a priority.
But reporting the story- any story- in a responsible, accurate and objective manner will always be paramount.
