Bob CollinsHow far should the news media go to protect the 12-year-olds who were charged with stabbing a friend near Milwaukee last week to satisfy a fictional character in an online meme?
The girls are due in court today and a judge has ordered the media not to show the defendants’ faces, even though they’re in adult court.
The media is objecting to the restraint, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says:
Tuesday’s motion by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association says there is no cause for Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren’s photography restrictions given the images have already been so widely published.
At the girls’ initial court appearance last week, no such restriction was ordered, and because the girls are charged as adults with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, their identities were public record. An attorney for one of the girls asked at the time that news media be barred, but a different judge denied the request.
Photos of the two suspects were shown worldwide by some media outlets, while other news organizations chose to blur their faces and not identify them by name. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel identified the girls and has published their photos.
The victim, another 12-year-old from Waukesha, was stabbed 19 times by one or both of the girls on May 31, according to a criminal complaint. All three attend Horning Middle School in Waukesha.
Tuesday’s motion by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association says there is no cause for Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren’s photography restrictions given the images have already been so widely published.
The situation has split the news media, however. The Associated Press isn’t naming either girl who is charged because at least one of their attorneys plans to pursue moving her case into juvenile court, where proceedings are closed to the public.
