Unnecessary shaming
I just read a story in My San Antonio about a man who died after he was hit by cars while trying to run across a highway. I get to the end of the story and they add that the man was “listed as a registered sex offender in Texas. He was convicted of sexually assaulting a 28-year-old woman in 2005.”
What’s the point of adding that? Clearly that information had nothing to do with his death. Is My San Antonio suggesting the fact that he was a person required to register means it’s somehow less of a loss? What’s the journalist’s point in shaming a man who just died and his family?
If anyone has thoughts on this, please share them with the writer (Priscilla Aguirre [email protected]) or her editor: Marc Duvoisin [email protected]
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Well if offenders are really mentally ill people (sick) shouldn’t hipaa laws protect their privacy?
And shouldn’t they be eligible for Supplemental Security Income [SSI] since they are unemployable due to their “sickness?” DSM-V does have a code for paraphilic disorders:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3769077/
The US government has decided to make a list of people they consider sub human and of little worth. They call it the SOR. Since they have said and taken steps to publicly shame them and tried to humiliate them with every tool they have legal and illegal,why should a journalist not think he has the same right, if not obligation.
Here is my email to the editor and journalist (both emails worked for me; nothing got bounced back):
Dear Mr. Duvoisin and Ms. Aguirre:
I am writing in regard to the article your news outlet published earlier today, entitled “Man hit, killed while running across Interstate 37 near downtown San Antonio identified.” While this tragic event is certainly news and worthy of coverage, I am perplexed by your decision to end the piece with the sentences “Rueles was listed as a registered sex offender in Texas. He was convicted of sexually assaulting a 28-year-old woman in 2005.”
How is the fact that the deceased victim of this highway tragedy had a criminal record in any way relevant to the story or the newsworthiness of this event? His status as a convicted felon played no apparent role in his death or the tragic accident that led to it.
Is it your organization’s practice to end all news stories in which a victim is killed with information about the person’s criminal record, if any? For example, when someone is killed in San Antonio, do you typically end the story with something along the lines of “Ms. Ramirez was a convicted felon. She plead guilty to first degree kidnapping in 1999 in a Fort Worth court” or “According to the Texas Depart of Public Safety, the deceased had no criminal record at the time he was shot and killed” or “Mr. Chang was on parole for armed burglary at the time he was struck by lightening”? When framed this way, I believe the absurdity of including this information comes into better focus.
Unless it was your specific intent to shame this man in death — and to concomitantly humiliate and embarrass his bereaved family members — why was this extraneous information included? Did you include this detail to suggest or imply that the victim in this case is of lesser human worth than others killed on the roadways of San Antonio, such that his death was only a mild tragedy, compared to others with no (or lesser) criminal records who are similarly lost to roadway accidents? I ask you to imagine how hurtful this information is to the victim’s friends and family, especially when including it in the article serves no legitimate news or social purpose.
In my opinion, the humane, decent and appropriate step at this point would be to redact this completely extraneous and irrelevant information from the article, as its continuing presence will only serve to rub salt into the emotional wounds of this man’s grieving family, particularly since his criminal record was in no way related to the event that brought about his untimely death.
Sincerely,
…
RM, This is phenomenal.
RM, the FAC Media Committee could surely use your talents.
Great job. Thank you for doing this. I can assure you, you may never know it directly but you made at least a few people on the receiving end of this take pause and think. And that is how we make change.
Crossing the hwy he was probably up to no good. Eating at Burger King in indication someones up to no good also.
I just sent my thoughts to Ms. Aguirre and her editors.
I emailed the author and one of the editors (the third email address seems to be no good).
Here is what I sent (and I would ask EVERYONE to use this opportunity to reach out to them (and your local press):
“Man hit, killed while running across Interstate 37 near downtown San Antonio identified
What’s the point of adding that he was a registered citizen? Clearly that information had nothing to do with his death.
Is My San Antonio suggesting the fact that he was a person required to register means it’s somehow less tragic? What’s the journalist’s point in shaming a man who just died and his family?
Here is an interesting article that tells the truth about former sex offenders (from huffpost).
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sex-offender-laws-dont-make-children-safer-politicians-keep-passing-them-anyway_n_5d2c8571e4b02a5a5d5e96d1
As journalists, you have a solemn responsibility to report the truth but also to do so in a sensitive way.
Thank you ”
****Fellow Registrants and others concerned, NOW is the time to start spreading awareness!!!!
Thanks!!!
Thank you!! Yes, this is how we make change.
Is there anyway you can attach the story you read? I just want to be able to reference back to it so when I email them I know how to word things and yes we all should email the editor & the writer no one should be referee to in that manner or disregarded that is horrible for the poor family to read people have no heart. I have seen many stories similar to this even on the news where they always have to point out the person was an R.S.O or just a convicted felon and it’s not right it should not be allowed.
Certainly. The story is actually hyperlinked in the first sentence, but here is where you can find it.
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/crime/article/Man-hit-killed-while-running-across-Interstate-37-14306056.php
and thanks Gina!