Reporting on serious crime in a small town | Editorial

Writing about crime in our communities is the most challenging part of our job — particularly when it involves sexual assault, child molestation or domestic violence.

When tasked with covering these topics, we aim to write accurately, sensitively and with integrity. Some steps we take to protect victims include omitting their name, age, residence and relationship to the perpetrator. What we do not omit is the name of the alleged criminal.

One of our duties as the paper of record is to inform the public about those charged with a crime. We painstakingly read court documents to choose what information should be presented to the public. We aim to neither gloss over the severity of what occurred nor sensationalize with too many details.

When sexual assault or domestic violence happens in a tight-knit community, it can be challenging to process. We believe it’s critical to recognize that child rape, abuse and manipulation occur everywhere. As your local newspaper, we are responsible for informing the public of all news – good and bad. We prefer stories that build our community, yet sometimes, our reporting covers a subject that must be shared as a public safety measure.

Monitoring and writing about the judicial system is one of the watchdog functions of the media, and it is a newspaper editor’s responsibility to decide which stories rise to the level of news. It does not take a reporter or editor long to discover that some stories will cause pain, anger or criticism. A reporter or editor must learn not to allow anger or criticism to cloud his/her news judgment.

The First Amendment protects a newspaper because the Founding Fathers believed a greater good to all was served with a free press. And with that comes the responsibility to weigh the facts of a story and make a sound news judgment.

There is a story in this week’s paper about a man accused of raping a child. These topics are distressing and traumatic. The victim in this court case felt emboldened to tell authorities after a SAFE San Juans advocate visited the school’s health class. This illustrates the critical need that an organization like SAFE plays in our community and the power of knowledge and information to break cycles of abuse.

One of the reasons we cover cases like this is to raise awareness of sexual assault and physical abuse and offer a chance for possible victims to contact authorities. We know how our coverage can impact those involved, but the alternative is not reporting these crimes – which would be a disservice to us all.

If you or someone you know is being sexually abused, there is help available.

Locally, SAFE San Juans has 24/7 phone lines available to call on San Juan at 360-378-2345; Orcas at 360-376-1234; or Lopez at 360-468-4567. For more information, visit https://safesj.org/.

Nationally, you can call the RAINN hotline, which is open 24/7 at 1-800-656-4673. For more information, visit https://www.rainn.org/.

To make a police report, call the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office at 360-378-4151.

The Sheriff’s Office anonymous tip line is 360-370-7629.