Media should not publish names of those charged until convicted

Posted on 13 September 2022 by Prairie Post

Editor:

I, too, believe in the mass-murder suspects’ guilt. Nevertheless, whenever I hear how relieved people are when somebody is charged with a reviled crime like this — ‘Did they catch him? They did? Well, that’s a relief!’ — I mentally hear the phrase, ‘We’ll give ’im a fair trial, then we’ll hang ’im.’ 

And if I point out he may be the wrong guy who’s being railroaded, I could receive the erroneous refrain, ‘Well if he’s truly innocent, he has nothing to worry about.’  

However statistically unlikely, the average person could someday find themselves unjustly jailed, even for life.   

‘Justice system’ vice probably occurs much more frequently than we can ever know about. And I’ve noticed that people tend to naively believe that such ethically challenged courtroom prosecutorial, and even judicial, conduct can/will never happen to them.

Such people fail to consider the potential flaws, even blatant ethical misconduct committed, in the law-enforcement/justice system — that great injustices are committed, both hidden and exposed.   

It’s why I strongly believe that whenever possible the news-media should refrain from publishing the identity of people charged with a crime — especially one of a repugnant nature, for which they are jailed pending trial (as is typically done) — until at least after they’ve been convicted.   

Frank Sterle Jr.       

White Rock, B.C.