I was disturbed by the reader who made a cruel, insensitive comment about the man who hanged himself in the Barton County Jail earlier this week. The comment was one of many made after I criticized the Sheriff's Department for not releasing the man's name and the Joplin Globe and the TV stations for going along with this decision.
Again, I will note that I have sympathy for the family. I cannot imagine having to go through such a situation, but you are setting a dangerous precedent when you allow any elected official to withhold information to spare someone's feelings.
If it can be done in this instance (and apparently it can) then who is to say it will not be done in some other situation in which someone will suffer. These decisions should not and cannot be left up to elected officials.
When you refuse to release information, all you do is encourage more talking about the situation. Get the facts out, and the buzz will generally die down quickly.
Rayma Bekebrock Davis, editor of The Lamar Democrat, joined the news media members who accepted Sheriff Shannon Higgins' decision without even a mild protest.
The article mentioned that the inmate "talked about being suicidal) during the first couple of days he was in jail, and then was placed on special watch with any item taken away which he might use to harm himself. He asked for a blanket, was given one and hanged himself with it.
The media's job is to get out the information, the who, what, when, where, why, and how. As far as the who is concerned, the area media fell short.
3 comments:
If the sheriff refuses to give the name, how do you suggest it be obtained? This is a new sheriff who is afraid of the county prosecutor and the judges, who are also historically anti-media. One of the judges still does not allow cameras in his courtroom. Where does one turn?
Good question. You have two approaches you can take. The first is to put heat on the sheriff to release the information. There are some situations where this might be the road to take, but this is not one of them. The second approach, which I would recommend, would be to check the jail's list of prisoners, which is a public document. If there is only one 37-year-old prisoner who was there that day and was not there the next, then verify that person's death, combine that with the information the sheriff released and you have your story. However, it should never have reached that point. If the media developed alternative sources, such as the county coroner or others in the sheriff's department and worked to confirm information that way, it would be a lot easier. It could be done with simple deductive reasoning. You know that a 37-year-old man, John Jones, is listed with one of the funeral homes (another possible source) as dying on the day in question. Tell your sources you are planning to run a story saying that John Jones hanged himself in the Barton County Jail. Is there anything inaccurate in that story? Generally, you can find someone among the possible sources, sheriff's department employees, coroner, funeral home, or even some other county official who talks with the sheriff on a regular basis,to enable you to get your information and your story. All it takes is a little legwork, or in this day and age, phonework.
I do not think they actually knew who my husband was. I called to get an incident report Friday to finally put my mind at rest and they told me "they" did not know he was even married and no mention in the Lamar Democrat either.
How is an altopsy being done in Springfield without my knowledge or consent. We were estranged but still legally married.
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