A conversation online regarding a recent story about a teenager charged with possession with intent to sell illegal drugs includes people making false statements and assumptions about the News & Observer's policies.
The paper has not printed the name and address of a "minor" in this case. Under North Carolina criminal law, 16-year-olds are automatically treated as adults. They are charged and defended in adult courts under the same rules that apply to older people in trouble with the law. We have over the years reported that this aspect of state law is a subject of debate among law enforcement people and advocates for children. North Carolina is thought to be among just three states that treat 16-year-olds as adults in criminal courts, regardless of the seriousness of the alleged offense.
In this case, the 16-year-old faces felony drug charges. In setting our policies, we use the law as a guideline. North Carolina law also allows children under 16 to be charged as adults under certain circumstances. We print those names. Generally, we do not name young people charged as juveniles. An exception might occur in the case of an egregious crime of high public interest. Such a step would not be taken lightly. We would not print the name without a careful consideration of the impact and a deliberation that engaged senior editors in the decision.
There are also false statements being made that the N&O withholds mug shots (police booking photos) of some people accused of crimes. A regular reader of the print edition, or a visitor to our Web site, will certainly find many photos of all kinds of people facing serious charges. We use mug shots unless police do not make them available. We don't write a lot of stories about people accused of minor offenses, thus we generally don't run photos of people accused of misdemeanors.
Linda Williams
Senior Editor
Linda Williams is a native of Fayetteville and graduate of UNC-CH. Her journalistic experience includes working at The Oregonian, The Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times. She can be reached at 
Comments
Speaking of young people being accused of crimes......
Wed, 10/01/2008 - 15:47 — DebrahThe updated version of "Until Proven Innocent" paperback just arrived in stores.
You can also get it at Amazon.com.
Mine arrived just this morning and I literally cannot put it down! http://thedivaworld.blogspot.com/
Nor should the N&O name her.
Wed, 10/01/2008 - 14:58 — fredwombleNor should the N&O name her. After all, you won't own up to your own exposed political bias and ugly display of petulance. How can the N&O assert to report on any wrongdoing when its own is swept under the rug?
http://gearino.com/?p=340
http://gearino.com/?p=343
http://gearino.com/?p=343
Dear hopeful Frederick.....
Wed, 10/01/2008 - 16:14 — Debrahhttp://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/story/1235115.html
The above is how the N&O chooses to respond to such issues....or perhaps present a half-azzed way of making excuses for employing someone inside their newsroom who feels free and easy spewing bigoted bile---openly.
This kind of one-sided logorrhea only works on people ready for the grave and who didn't grow up attending integrated schools.
The amount of open bigotry and unchecked assaults on the rights of others on a daily basis---(not to mention the reality that institutions in this country have been geared toward diluting standards for the last 40 years just to keep the accepted culture of unaccountability flowing)---make such an editorial quite ridiculous.
And insipid.
But we have learned not to expect higher standards from them.
Barack Obama, more than anyone, knows what bull**** that editorial is.
Alas, he cannot verbalize a lot of things simply because it would be unwise, politically.
The only real things that have hurt the Obama campaign are people like Jeremiah Wright, backwater columnists like Barry Saunders, and all those "minorities" who are wetting their pants from fear that if Obama is elected they will begin to lose invitations to a lifetime of casting blame, excuses, and pity parties.
Again, that editorial is criminal in its one-sided archaic BS. The author should be flogged.
Heh.
Tue, 09/30/2008 - 08:30 — acidqueenIt's just her friends that are all upset because the accused might actually have to *gasp* do time and suffer the shame and scorn that comes with breaking the law.