Post Gazette wants trial of boy open to public

Can we stop using the word "retarded"

"It's insulting, it's painful and it hurts people," said actor Eddie Barbanell, who has Down syndrome and appeared in the movie "The Ringer." "Get that word out! End the word! Bury it!"

While "retard" itself was never a medical term, it derives from the phrase "mental retardation," which by around 1900 was commonly used by scientists and doctors, said Peter Berns, executive director of The Arc of the United States, a nonprofit advocate for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Even though Berns said its pejorative connotation was established in the 1960s, the phrase "mental retardation" is still used in many state and federal laws, much to the dismay of those trying to stamp out its use.

"People with intellectual disabilities themselves really mounted a movement that they did not want to be referred to with the word 'retarded,'" he said.

As such, the American Association of Mental Retardation changed its name in 2007 to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities after its members pleaded for the organization to do so. In another sign that the formal use of the term "mentally retarded" had lost currency, The Associated Press replaced it in its stylebook in 2008 with "mentally disabled."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29981699/ns/us_news-life/t/special-olympics-fights-use-word-retard/

Not picking a fight, and I'm moving on. Just sayin'.

 

Yes, because he's a juvenile and it has been determined that the case should be handled in juvenile court. Those cases are closed to the public and should either all be closed or all open.

You can't pick and choose -- oh, that's an interesting juvenile case -- let us bring our cameras into court!

 

Like Watergate?

 

Public figures are exceptions. Everybody else should have private trials

 

I agree with Skippy.

And further, I think booking shots should not be sent willy nilly through the internet unless they get some of those folks from Glamour Shots to let you try on a few nice outfits and jazz them up!

 

I don't think mug shots should be released period either. I imagine people wouldn't want potential employers to see those.

 

Perhaps you might consider not committing a crime.

 

Collection of details post-trial and covering a trial are two pretty different things.
(This thread notwithstanding. Trials of juveniles should be closed.)

 

We pick and chose all the time!!!!
In every aspect of the newspaper business! It's part of the job!

Not all court cases are interesting. Or meetings. Or football games. Some get covered, some don't depending on the the level of interest.

I think all juvenile murder cases should be open the public. And I certainly think there are exceptions to every rule.

 

There are also meetings and court cases closed to the press. And this wouldn't just be newspapers.

Would you want to see the media to go all Casey Anthony on some 11-year-old kid?

 

Okay. Who is this really?

 

Seriously. Why should Joe Schmo who likes to gossip from across the street be entitled to someone's court information?