ethics question

Give the story to the news side and see what they want to do. If they come to for background on the type of player he/she was then give it. I think you could get the coach to say "violated team rules."

Some papers will list the names of all minors for drug crimes and other offenses. If your paper does not, just because the kid decides to play high school sports, does not elevate them to have their name plastered across the paper in 36-point font. Playing sports already gives the school the right to randomly drug test.

When dealing with minors and amateurs, everything should be used with a sliding scale on a case to case basis. John Wooden used one, and I think he knew what he was doing.

I think if the kid was a D-I recruit, then it is more newsworthy because your paper probably has written a fair amount about this person in the past. A kid not going past high school athletically? I would say no.

 

How's this for giving a big F.U. to the ethical line.

I know of a managing editor at a paper in nothern Ohio who took tickets from First Energy for the ALCS game in Cleveland.

Now, this paper has been reporting on a power plant First Energy owns which has, in the past few years, been shut down for cracks in the reactor and is currently in trial in Cleveland.

But he took the tickets from them anyway. And this was after a reporter turned them down because it was a conflict of interest.

Terrific journalistic ethics, huh?

 

If the player gets suspended, I think it's a story. Getting the goods is the problem. If player is an adult, there should be a public record if there was an arrest: Name, age, address, place of arrest, brief details, basis for arrest. Later if charges are filed, there should be more in court file.

However, if we're talking about a juvenile, tough luck. In most states arrest records and court files of juveniles are confidential. Doesn't mean you can't print it. Means you can't get it unless someone slips you a copy. Even if AD, say, tells you player was suspended because he had been arrested, your editor might not find that sufficient for a story. Since it's not from a public record source, it's not privileged. And if it's wrong, paper's gonna be writing a big check to a 17 year old.