Patch Poll: Should the Media Report on Sensitive Crimes, Such as DUIs?
Last week, Lakeville Patch that Lakeville North Athletic Director Bob Ertl pleaded guilty to a DUI charge. Should we have reported it?
Last week, our neighbors over at Lakeville Patch broke some sensitive news. They were the first to report that in December, Lakeville North Athletic Director Bob Ertl pleaded guilty to a DUI charge he received in June. It was his second alcohol-related arrest in less than five years. He's being retained by the district and is undergoing counseling. It's considered sensitive because reporting this kind of news can be life-altering. Obviously, we report on murders, shootings, rapes, and robberies. But less intense crimes, such as this one, are sometimes considered unfortunate mistakes. And in this case, Patch received a number of emails, comments and Facebook posts suggesting we should never have published the story. "It's gossipy," as one…
In this Article:
Amy Constans
3:43 pm on Tuesday, January 15, 2013
It's hard to say really. On one hand, we depended on this man to be an athletic figure to our children, which I'm assuming he did-I have no children that go to that school. What happens outside of school shouldn't be made public if it doesn't effect his job, or does it? He has shown that he is capable of making bad choices. What other bad choices might he make? We all know that drinking and … more ›