Words like ‘alleged’, ‘suspected’ and ‘accused’ are quite important in the world of journalism.
If a man walked into a bank and robbed it at gunpoint, then immediately went up to a reporter, took his mask off and proceeded to tell the reporter, “Yes, my name is Jon Smith…that’s S…M…I…T…H…first name, J…O…N…and fled with the money, they would still be a ‘suspected’ bank robber in the eyes of the media. Not until the person was found guilty in a court of law would they become a bank robber – the media does not convict a person, the court does.
With Cochrane’s recent experience with an ‘alleged’ gunman walking around West Valley in camouflage attire, there is a few points the Eagle would like to make clear.
During this event, the Eagle released the suspect’s name on its Twitter feed, and were pretty much the only media outlet that did – which may simply be due to the fact that Eagle staff were on scene and able to speak with law enforcement and hear the man’s name repeatedly being called in front of his home, demanding he come out with his hands up.
At the time the suspect’s name was released, it was unclear whether he had been located by police, or if he was still roaming the streets of West Valley, where RCMP had advised residents to stay inside, lock their doors and call 911 if they spotted anyone dressed in military clothing and carrying a gun.
Though the incident ended on the best possible note – with the suspect surrendering without incident to police nearly four hours after he was first spotted in Mitford Park armed – fears of another Moncton tragedy passed through the minds of some, particularly those living in Cochrane’s West Valley area where the armed man was loose.
Why release the suspect’s name? The simple answer is safety.
The Eagle’s primary goal during incidents like this – as well as during the 2013 Alberta flood, for another example – is to keep the public informed and provide as much information that could keep them safe.
How does releasing the name of a suspect keep the public safe? In a community the size of Cochrane, and more precisely, a neighbourhood the size of West Valley, it is very likely that residents of the area may know the suspect, or at least what he looks like. If they peered outside and saw this man, it would make it easy to recognize the suspect, and call police with a positive identification.
Did the Eagle say the man was guilty of any crime? No. We provided his name and employed those trusty journalistic words…‘suspected’ and ‘alleged.’
Same kind of thing happened over social media during the Moncton, N.B. tragedy in June.
Justin Bourque, the man who has pleaded guilty to killing three police officers, attempting to kill two others and roamed the streets of Moncton armed, had his name released by New Brunswick RCMP over Twitter prior to his arrest. Police tweeted, “#Codiac RCMP searching for 24-y-o Justin Bourque of Moncton. Considered armed and dangerous.” They even supplied a photo of the ‘suspect’ in full camouflage gear carrying weapons.
Bourque’s name was quickly shared on Twitter by several media outlets, including CBC News Alerts, the Calgary Sun, the Calgary Herald, Halifax’s Chronicle Herald, The Huffington Post, CTV, Global, various media in Moncton and New Brunswick…you name it, they shared it.
As they should have.
If a single piece of information – a suspect’s name included – can keep even one member of the public safe, the media should be proud of releasing that detail.
Would the Eagle have released the suspect’s name if it were unsure it was correct or was simply information gathered through rumours? No.
The Eagle was aware of the suspect’s name prior to it being confirmed by police, but did not release it for this very reason.
However, when police have a house surrounded, the RCMP Emergency Response Team is camped out in the front yard with a heavily armoured vehicle and is calling your name through a loud speaker over and over to exit the home with your hands up, a suspect’s name is pretty hard to withhold. And, for the safety of the public, once a dangerous suspect’s name has been confirmed, it should not be withheld.
A situation ‘blown out of proportion’ where everyone is safe is far better than one that’s not taken seriously and people end up hurt or worse.
