In recent days a few people have asked me about police news that I’ve published and where the information is coming from. I wanted to be proactive and take this opportunity to explain how and why police news comes to be on Saucon Source.
The information in police-related stories almost always comes directly from the police departments themselves–either the Hellertown Police Department or Lower Saucon Township Police Department (or occasionally the state police). I’m on a fax list of media outlets that receive news releases as they are issued. The information in these news releases is presumed to be factual, however if there is proven to be a mistake (it happens on occasion) I’m always happy to correct the error and issue a clarification/retraction if necessary.
In a case in which the charges against someone are ultimately dropped, or in which someone is proven ‘not guilty’ in a court of law or otherwise exonerated (which can happen months or even years after charges are filed), I will do my best to promptly remove information from the site and take steps to have it removed from search results–although doing the latter takes time and is not entirely within my control.
To some extent, these situations represent some of the foibles of news-sharing in the digital age. To be fair, since the dawn of the newspaper age there has never been a perfect method of reporting police news. I do the best that I can with the information I receive, and if someone who is blameless should ever be unfairly singled out I apologize for that in advance and hope they will understand that there is a social price to be paid for the imperfect thing we call ‘freedom of the press,’ just as with many of the freedoms we enjoy.
Returning to Saucon Source specifically, is every single news release I receive turned into a news item? No. There is editorial discretion involved in their publication, just as with everything else in the news business. I may find something to be newsworthy while The Morning Call does not (or vice versa). In general I publish news releases concerning incidents in which there was alleged behavior that endangered or could have endangered others, incidents that affect the quality of life in our community, and incidents in which the perpetrator or perpetrators are unknown (e.g., hit-and-run accidents, thefts, shoplifting, etc.). In some cases the police will ask me to help them publicize a story. No two police stories are the same, and therefore I evaluate each news release on its own merits and come to a decision about whether to publish something based upon the totality of the information in front of me. In some cases, there simply isn’t enough information to publish a story.
Saucon Source is not a gossip column and I try as hard as humanly possible to be fair about what I publish and not to make exceptions because someone is well-known in the community or known to me personally. At the same time, I believe in compassionate journalism and I try to take into consideration factors such as age in relation to the seriousness of an offense. In the eyes of the law an 18-year-old is an adult. Period. But as we all know, a typical 18-year-old thinks differently than a 38-year-old. Acknowledging that there is a difference in critical thinking ability is something I believe in, especially when it comes to reporting on what would generally be deemed “minor incidents.”
I’m always open to having a conversation with anyone who has a concern about something I’ve published–whether it involves police news or something else. That doesn’t mean I will always agree with you, but I want to know what my readers think and learn from you whenever possible–because this is your news site. I humbly ask for your continued readership, for which I am grateful.
