Newspaper's Naming Policy Continues Amid Controversy

Abstract

A case study of the Shelton-Mason County Journal shows the effects of the controversial, century-old policy of naming sexual assault victims on the community frontline stakeholders.

Protecting victims’ identities in press coverage of child victimization

“…Some research, discussed in the introduction, suggests that such coverage could add substantially to a victim's sense of shame and anxiety or inhibit their recovery. Personal quotes and individual anecdotes provide evidence that it happens in at least some cases (Haws and Ramsey, 1996;Riski and Grusin, 2003). In addition, fears of media disclosure may also play a role in the reluctance of some victims or their families to report crimes to authorities or cooperate in criminal cases, as at least one survey suggested (Kilpatrick et al, 1992).…”

“…Some media professionals are openly critical of the policy of hiding names and identities, for the reason that they see such policies as perpetuating the idea that this is a shameful experience (Crystal, 2003;Eagan, 2001;Gartner, 1991;Gibbon, 2003;Lake, 1991;Riski and Grusin, 2003). Most commentators, and the majority of newspapers that preserve anonymity for sexual assault victims, have rejected such arguments (Riski and Grusin, 2003). While everyone decries the stigma surrounding victimization, it is doubtful that publishing names does much of anything to reduce such stigma.…”

“…A related argument for identifying victims has been that to grant them anonymity is unfair to offenders. The editor of the Shelton-Mason County Journal has been a vocal proponent of this argument (Gartner, 1991;Haws and Ramsey, 1996;Riski and Grusin, 2003). If offenders are identified at the time of arrest or in discussion of a court case, but victims are not, it creates a presumption of offender guilt, according to this argument.…”

Who Is Worthy of a Name? Identity, Naming, and Social Difference in News Images’ Captions

“…M.Jones & Sheets, 2009;Nilsen, 2009(. Framing research has shown that the labels of events, policies, issues, or actions are key factors in the transmission of the latent prevailing assumptions and organizing principles, such as the "War on Terror" ) Reese, 2009;Reese & Lewis, 2009(, "Arab Spring" )Ismail et al, 2018 European "migration crisis" ) When it comes to personal and family names, journalism studies scholars have predominantly focused on privacy, legal, and ethical concerns of events involving minors ) Davis, 2000;L. M.Jones et al, 2010(, victims of crimes ) Stone & Socia, 2019;Thayer & Pasternack, 1994(, sex abuses ) Black, 1995;Riski & Grusin, 2003(, and anonymous sources ) Blankenburg, 1992;Martin-Kratzer & Thorson, 2007;Stenvall, 2008;Sternadori & Thorson, 2009(. These studies echo the concerns of practitioners and media watchdogs who question the ways that crime, especially sexual violence, and cases involving minors is reported ) Duara, 2014;Funt, 2015(.…”

“…When it comes to personal and family names, journalism studies scholars have predominantly focused on privacy, legal, and ethical concerns of events involving minors (Davis, 2000; L. M Jones et al, 2010Stone & Socia, 2019; Thayer & Pasternack, 1994), sex abuses (Black, 1995; Riski & Grusin, 2003), and anonymous sources (Blankenburg, 1992; Martin-Kratzer & Thorson, 2007; Stenvall, 2008; Sternadori & Thorson, 2009). These studies echo the concerns of practitioners and media watchdogs who question the ways that crime, especially sexual violence, and cases involving minors is reported (Duara, 2014; Funt, 2015).…”