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The story that appears on the front page of The Mercury and at http://www.pottsmerc.com/ with the headline "Alleged child rapist makes unusual defense request" is certain to be the best read story in the paper today. That is not something I am particularly proud of, but it is a fact.
You see the story is about a request from a defense lawyer for a man accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, asking that his client be allowed to make a plaster mold of his penis in an aroused state to be used as an exhibit in his defense.
The lawyer is quoted in the story as saying his client is reported to be "extraordinarily, unusually large" and his claim is that the jury must see just how large to appreciate the defense that the young girl he allegedly raped would have suffered injury more serious than what she reported.
Repulsive? Yes, particularly because the victim is a young girl, and the defendant allegedly assaulted her while free on bail on charges of assaults against other young teen-agers.
But the story will not be the most read because of the sensational nature of the crimes. It's the absurdity of the request and the "freak of nature" aspect, as his lawyer told a TV news reporter, that will have people shaking their heads.
In the news business, we get these stories from time to time, and reporters, even the most seasoned ones, know they need to be mindful of their choice of words and double-check with editors to make sure they're not crossing the line.
We discuss and weigh our headline words carefully, too, balancing the absurdity with the severity and being mindful of what readers want to know but what they don't want to see highlighted in print.
There is also a line between reporting the detail that shows the brutality of crimes without further violating the victim by telling the world the horrible detail of a rape or torture.
These are debates and dilemmas we have often in reporting news, particularly in a community where readers may know the victim or the accused. We watch our words carefully and steer clear of puns that make light of serious situations.
But, the story today was more about telling the story of a bizarre request without sensationalizing it that about balancing victim-criminal rights.
Today's story was a new one, even for those of us who have been in the news business many years. And while we treat seriously the news that we present, human nature and the newsroom being what it is, I would be lying to say there were no bad headline suggestions or guffaws among reporters and editors today.
We are left with one more dilemma as we look to the rest of this story: When this defendant comes to trial, how will we handle the headline if the jury can't reach a verdict?
Think about it.
You see the story is about a request from a defense lawyer for a man accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, asking that his client be allowed to make a plaster mold of his penis in an aroused state to be used as an exhibit in his defense.
The lawyer is quoted in the story as saying his client is reported to be "extraordinarily, unusually large" and his claim is that the jury must see just how large to appreciate the defense that the young girl he allegedly raped would have suffered injury more serious than what she reported.
Repulsive? Yes, particularly because the victim is a young girl, and the defendant allegedly assaulted her while free on bail on charges of assaults against other young teen-agers.
But the story will not be the most read because of the sensational nature of the crimes. It's the absurdity of the request and the "freak of nature" aspect, as his lawyer told a TV news reporter, that will have people shaking their heads.
In the news business, we get these stories from time to time, and reporters, even the most seasoned ones, know they need to be mindful of their choice of words and double-check with editors to make sure they're not crossing the line.
We discuss and weigh our headline words carefully, too, balancing the absurdity with the severity and being mindful of what readers want to know but what they don't want to see highlighted in print.
There is also a line between reporting the detail that shows the brutality of crimes without further violating the victim by telling the world the horrible detail of a rape or torture.
These are debates and dilemmas we have often in reporting news, particularly in a community where readers may know the victim or the accused. We watch our words carefully and steer clear of puns that make light of serious situations.
But, the story today was more about telling the story of a bizarre request without sensationalizing it that about balancing victim-criminal rights.
Today's story was a new one, even for those of us who have been in the news business many years. And while we treat seriously the news that we present, human nature and the newsroom being what it is, I would be lying to say there were no bad headline suggestions or guffaws among reporters and editors today.
We are left with one more dilemma as we look to the rest of this story: When this defendant comes to trial, how will we handle the headline if the jury can't reach a verdict?
Think about it.
posted by Nancy March at
6:33 PM
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