Today’s winner is Albuquerque New Mexico’s Channel 13 KRQE. They get the award for the following–
A state police report released last week on the alleged hazing during a Robertson High School football camp included the names of the six victims.
But the print and television media declined to release the information to the public out of concern for the victims — with at least one exception.
A few days ago, a reporter on Albuquerque’s Channel 13 KRQE showed one of the pages of the report to the camera, close enough for viewers to see a victim’s name. By the station’s account, it was a mistake.
Iain Munro, KRQE’s assistant news director, acknowledged the error, saying a member of the victim’s family called the station to express concern. He said he sent a letter of apology to the family.
After the Optic inquired about the situation, he e-mailed a copy to the newspaper, with the name of the family redacted.
“We exercise our editorial judgment every day regarding what we should broadcast,” Munro states in the letter. “In this case, we regret not making the decision to redact the victims’ names even if we were under no legal obligation to do so. Your (family’s) point makes sense from our perspective, and we’re sorry this happened.”
Mr. Mauro if your child was sexually assaulted, would you want his or her name blasted over a television station? Just say you fucked up and apologize without the excuses. These victims deserved better and the lack of common sense at this television station you work at is appalling.
Television stations do tasteless things on a regular basis. Show a partially nude accident victim, or make fun of a paralyzed pro football player, by showing film footage of a man in a wheelchair kicking people. Both those occurrences happened in Florida in the last 18 months.
If anyone wants to read more about this horrific hazing incident and the still unfolding scandal, click here. There is a problem with the article, which may garner its author a knucklehead, but still worth reading to know 95% of the basic facts behind what happened. In the meantime I name Albuquerque New Mexico’s Channel 13 KRQE today’s Knucklehead of the Day.
