I would like the Indiana Daily Student, Bloomington Herald-Times and every other mediocre newspaper in the nation to present a strong argument which demonstrates the newsworthiness of reporting the police blotter. For those who do not know what the police blotter is, I will try to simplify its context. The blotter is a section of the paper which reports preliminary charges against an individual brought by an arresting police officer. These charges have not been proven in a court of law, nor are they even close to have done so. They are simply a means of booking an individual suspected of committing a crime into the county jail where he will be held until he posts bail. Also, these preliminary charges have hit the presses long before a prosecutor has even had a chance to see them. It is my understanding that the prosecutor files the charges on behalf of the state; not the cowboy cop. What's more, many of the charges which appear in the blotter are not even prosecuted. The prosecutor uses evidence based on police reports, etc., to determine if the state's case holds water. \nOften, because of police officers' mistakes, illegal searches, poor documentation or even damaging testimony during depositions, the state's attorney determines that in fact the state has no legitimate case. However, the IDS never reports when charges have been dropped or reduced. They would rather report what a hot-shot cop says is truth rather than what a law-degree toting prosecutor or judge says is truth. \nIt now appears that reporting the police blotter serves absolutely no purpose other than discrediting a person's good name. Many would call this kind of activity libel or slander. You may argue that citizens of America have a freedom to information and they deserve to know why people are being brought to the jail their tax dollars fund. I would tend to agree with this argument on the stipulation that you also publish the information about every reduced and dismissed charge as well as all acquittals of criminal cases. Just in case the IDS is under an illusion, dropped charges are a regular occurrence in prosecutors' offices around the country because good lawyers know when the police cheat and lie to try and make themselves look like the knights in shining armor to the public.\nI also wonder why I can never find the police blotter in The Chicago Tribune or The Indianapolis Star. Is it because there are no arrests in Cook and Marion counties? Or perhaps is it because these newspapers know that more important things are going on outside of satisfying people's nosy desires. I do appreciate the vigilance of those who seek out and scramble for the blotter section each morning; however, tattle-telling and nosiness are not respectable virtues. \nI challenge the IDS to adhere to its own ethical standards of "seeking the truth" while also "minimizing harm and being fair." I ask that if you publish a charge which is later dropped, you should also publish the more fortunate outcome of that particular legal matter.
Eric J. Spoonmore \nSenior
