Investigative Reporting/Chapter 11 COVERING CRIME AND COURTS
Investigative Reporting/Chapter 11
COVERING CRIME AND COURTS
Access – most of the info gathered on the police beat comes from the daily police log or blotter. THIS IS PUBLIC
RECORDS and is available for anyone, including the media. Logs are available at the jail or fire stations and should be
checked regularly.
Police departments have Public Information Officers, or PIOs, who talk directly with reporters about the officers
involved in the cases. The PIO’s duty is to provide information.
The crime reporter should:- Check previous criminal records of suspects (Where
there have been convictions, there will be info in court records under the person’s name)
- The internet can be a source of records on sex offenders, many court records and other public records however, some info is difficult to access. Names connected with
crimes occurring on campus, for instance.
CRIME STORIES
The records of juveniles are protected and states restrict identity of juvenile offenders under 18 unless it’s a major
capital crime.
Many newspapers withhold names of suspects in news stories until they have been formally charged with a crime.
(Maine prostitution ring)- Remember, each person becomes an official suspect only
after charges are filed in a court.- Other times, newspapers withhold names to protect
privacy, such as in rape, sodomy or incest cases.- A crime reporter MUST make sure the names of
suspects, including middle initials, are provided in full, spelled correctly and addresses are used as part of their
identity.
ACCESS (CONT’D)
A person arrested for a crime is considered innocent until proven guilty in court.
Therefore, you must be VERY careful how you describe this person in news stories prior to trial.
- The police can arrest, but they cannot charge a crime against a person. (This is the job of the DA)
- Do not convict a person by saying prematurely he or she “did” the crime.
- What you can say is that the person is charged with a crime, was arrested in connection with a crime or accused. ALWAYS
attribute this to an official source, such as the DA police, sheriff ’s office, etc.
- In a crime against another person, the accuser cannot be identified as the victim until the perpetuator has been
convicted.
LAWS
Avoid the word “alleged”
The words means to declare or assert without proof. Law enforcement officers do not allege. They accuse.
And, when you use the word accuse, make sure that when you use it, you say accused OF and not WITH.
Nor is it: “accused bank robber Joe…”
Instead, write: “Joe, accused of bank robbery, said…”
ALLEGED
I often tell you to attribute everything, but in crime stories, factual information like the crime’s location or that a
person has been officially charged with a crime can be cited without attribution.
On homicide: the term is the legal term for killing. Murder is the term for premeditated homicide. Manslaughter is
homicide but lacking premeditation. - Thus, a person may be arrested and charged with murder
but is not a murderer until law enforcement have determined this or the court decides this.
Nor is a deceased person murdered unless it’s determined by law – use slain or killed
Homicide stories should include reference to the weapon used, clues and motives, types of wounds, official cause of
death, how the suspect came to be arrested and details from family, friends, witnesses, etc.
ATTRIBUTION
Not all fire stories have criminal connections, like arson, for example.
Most fire stories are based on accidents, acts of God and the like. Still, the police reporter covers fires.
Information about a fire should include when the fire started, how long it took the fire department to respond
and when the fire was brought under control.
Include in your story the number of fire companies and trucks responding, injuries and fatalities, cause of the fire, who discovered it, description of the structure that burned
and estimated cost of damages.
Follow-up stories should include fire inspection records and fire code violations, if any.
FIRES
In order to cover the courts, you have to have a basic understanding of the court system. You will learn more
about this in Communications Law at the university level but the highlights:
Courts are concerned with criminal or civil cases (non-criminal lawsuits between two parties)
Criminal cases are violations of laws that regulate crime, misdemeanors (minor matters that involve fines or
imprisonment of up to a year) or felonies (serious matters that can involve lengthy prison terms)
The court system operates on two levels – federal and state
Federal courts have jurisdiction over cases involving the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws including conflicts
between people of different states.
COURTS
The federal system involves district courts where cases are tried. There are 12 federal courts of appeal that review
cases on appeal from the federal district courts.
The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest court in the country. Cases are appealed at this level, but the justices pick and
choose which cases to consider and which to ignore.
States have three levels: trial, appeals and a state Supreme Court
COURTS (CONT’D)
A person who is suspected of having committed a crime may be arrested. Or, arrests can occur if one person has
filed a complaint against another. The suspect is taken to a booking desk, where he or she is fingerprinted and
photographed. The person’s name, address and physical description are entered into the police book or log, AKA the blotter. Some are held in jail while others are released until
formal charges are made.- Arresting officers provide the DA’s office with
information about the arrest. Is the the DA’s office that decides if a charge against the suspect should be filed in
court. - The first hearing is called the arraignment. Charges are
read in court, giving the suspect the opportunity to enter a plea of guilty or not.
ARRESTS
Preliminary hearings are conducted in federal cases only. The judge determines if there is enough evidence to merit
trying the person (probable cause)
If so, the person is held for trial. If not, the person is released and charges are dropped.
A grand jury, comprised of around 12 citizens, comes into play when charges involve political crimes, major drug case
and cases headed to federal courts. The purpose of the grand jury is to investigate probable cause and, if it finds probable cause, the grand jury issues a true bill, meaning
the case goes to court.
If no probable cause, the grand jury issues a no bill, charges are dropped and the person goes free. Grand jury
proceedings are secret.
HEARINGS
Time-consuming and costly
Pretrial hearings and motions delay cases or try to get them dropped.
Another technique is the plea bargain, which the prosecution negotiates with the defense on a mutually agreeable guilt to a
lesser charge, which eliminates the need for a trial.
If a defendant pleads “no contest” he or she is not admitting guilt but will abide by the court’s decision in the matter
Should things result in a trial, the jury is empanelled for criminal cases. In civil cases, the judge usually makes the decision although
juries are also used in some civil trials.
The jury’s job is to determine guilty or not guilty based on the evidence presented in court. A person convicted in court can appeal
the decision in one of the appellate courts, but there is no guarantee that the case will be considered or that the appellate
court will reverse the trial court’s ruling.
TRIALS
Civil court cases involve disagreements between two parties and do not involve criminal activity. A judge
sometimes decides the case, and sometimes juries are involved. A judge may dismiss a civil case because it lacks enough evidence to justify a trial. A judge may also render
a summary judgment, in which the judge decides on the face of the evidence.
TRIAL (CONT’D)
Translate all court jargon into commonplace, easily understood words and phrases.
State the exact charges involved
Give background to the issue – especially if it is a criminal case
Give the correct name of the court that is considering the case
Seek comments from all parties involved – prosecution, defense, the judge, jurors and relatives.
Sometimes, the defendant’s attorney will discourage his client’s talking to the media. Other times, the defendant seeks to use the media to tell his or her side of the story or to win sympathy from
the public.
In verdict stories, tell how long the jury deliberated.
Write a next-step story about what may happen after the verdict is rendered, such as appeals, next court appearance, etc.
WRITING COURT STORIES