journalism, covering crime and courts

1. COVERING CRIME AND COURTS
Investigative Reporting/Chapter 11

2. CRIME STORIES
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.

3. ACCESS (CONT’D)
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.

4. LAWS
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.

5. ALLEGED
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…”

6. ATTRIBUTION
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.

7. FIRES
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.

8. COURTS
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.

9. COURTS (CONT’D)
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

10. ARRESTS
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.

11. HEARINGS
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.

12. TRIALS
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.

13. TRIAL (CONT’D)
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.

14. WRITING COURT STORIES
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.