David Trinko: Why the newspaper covers courts

You might not realize it, but you were represented in court last week.

A reporter witnessed the proceedings on your behalf.

One of the most common questions I receive as an editor is why we cover the court proceedings the way we do. From an outsider’s perspective, it might appear we’re trying to embarrass a defendant, ruin a crime victim’s life or celebrate (or vilify) lawyers and law enforcement.

The quickest, simplest answer is we’re there to represent the public in these court proceedings. Any time there’s a crime, society and every citizen is a victim of that crime.

That’s why our reporters sit through several court hearings a day. They’re your witness to the crime and punishment aspect of our democracy. They’re there to make sure the prosecution, defense and the judge are all acting appropriately in the sunlight.

I won’t lie: Court coverage is also very popular with readers. It often tops the list of our most-read stories online. That’s not why we do it, though.

We have to be practical about how we do it. This month, there’s an average of 19.7 hearings scheduled each day in Allen County Common Pleas Court, between all the judges and magistrates. We also cover courts in Auglaize and Putnam counties, with occasional coverage of Hardin and Van Wert counties. As a practical matter, we can’t have someone at every hearing.

We tell our reporters covering courts to focus on first- and second-degree felonies. A first-degree felony carries with it three to 11 years in prison, and that includes charges such as murder, rape, kidnapping and some high-level drug offenses. A second-degree felony in Ohio includes two to eight years of prison time and includes serious charges such as felony assault, abduction and aggravated arson.

If I faced more than two years of my life in prison or had a loved one as a victim of these crimes, I’d want someone watching to make sure everything was done right.

That’s not to say we won’t witness other court cases involving unusual circumstances or higher profile defendants who society holds to a higher standard, such as law enforcement officers or teachers. We also share the results of all cases going through common pleas court in a listing format, as well as any cases with jail sentences in our municipal court records.

People are often surprised to hear how much we talk in our newsroom about what to include and what not to include in our coverage. It’s particularly difficult with rape cases, as we know these are traumatic for victims to relive. Sometimes the public needs to understand the depravity of what some people do without consent behind closed doors so they can understand what the law includes.

The Lima News typically does not identify the victims of rape unless they specifically ask our reporter to identify them. I consider it a courageous act when victims request this of our reporters. It shows they know they did nothing wrong and were the victim, not someone who should feel any shame or regret or that they were somehow at fault.

Still, we honor the anonymity of rape victims, not identifying them by name and generally trying to avoid explaining exactly how people know each other, especially when they’re family. We understand that isn’t the first thing they’d want to pop up in an online search of a victim’s name. We don’t have that same compassion when a convicted person’s past crimes pop up online, though.

In a recent reporters’ meeting, I shared this message in a presentation: “We’re not here to sensationalize. We’re here to tell our community what happened. If the detail titillates but violates our ethics, leave it out.”

We’re a human enterprise. Our reporters and editors slip up once in a while and share a detail that goes beyond the limits of our policies. That’s why we talk about it.

That’s why I’m sharing our standards with our readers, so you can hold us accountable when we stumble.

David Trinko is editor of The Lima News. Reach him at 567-242-0467, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @Lima_Trinko.