Max
05-23-2003, 11:59 AM
Should we name the teen accused of attacking Kyle?
Posted May 23, 2003
The Kyle Signorelli trial reflects the delicate nature of dealing with children and crime and the news.
I call it the Kyle Signorelli trial even though he is the victim. The accused I do not name because the case is being tried in juvenile court - and we almost never name juveniles accused of crimes.
That is our policy, and it mirrors the way the law works. The names of juveniles are withheld when they are arrested and charged with a crime. Even if they are convicted of a crime in juvenile court, their records are not available to the public. (The media do, though, have full access to juvenile court hearings.)
It is all about protecting children from being haunted for life by a youthful mistake. And in many, maybe most, cases this makes sense. Should a 16-year-old who gets busted at a drinking party have his name splattered all over the newspaper? A troubled 14-year-old vandal? Should they be given the same level of scrutiny as adults? Most would say no.
But the Signorelli case gives me pause.
Kyle is a 19-year-old from Naperville. The trial is suspended for at least a week because he was supposed to testify, but he is in the hospital recovering from pneumonia. The pneumonia is a complication that developed because of his spinal cord injury, which left him a quadriplegic. The spinal cord injury occurred, prosecutors charge, because another kid slammed Kyle head-first into the ground.
The aggravated battery trial hinges on whether the head-slamming was a premeditated and intentional assault - or if it was a typical fight between two teens with tragic results.
Here's a question I have heard as this trial unwinds: Is the defendant, then 16, accused of inflicting this damage not accountable? Why shouldn't we name him as we cover the trial?
Here's another detail that makes it even stickier: The magic age in Illinois is 17. Reach that age, and you will be tried as an adult for crimes big and small; you will be fair game for the TV cameras and your local newspaper's police blotter. The teen accused of paralyzing Kyle Signorelli was 16 at the time; he is now 17. Shouldn't he be held up to the media glare?
That might seem like a bad idea if he is exonerated, but what if he is convicted? Should we name him then? Our policy says no.
Let's say we throw away the rules for this trial - and trust me when I tell you newspapers can devise all the policies in the world, but they never seem to cover all the nuances - what do we do in future circumstances?
Do we toss aside our procedures completely? Do we make a concerted effort to get the names of every juvenile accused of every crime we deem newsworthy? And where, exactly, do we draw the line on newsworthiness?
There is an argument to be made for full disclosure. Why not run the name of a juvenile convicted of underage drinking? He shouldn't have done it. A few lines in the newspaper could be viewed as a little added punishment.
But here's the rub: How do you feel about it if you are the parent, relative or friend of an alleged youthful offender? And you know the offender's full story - the one everyone else will never see on TV or in the paper? How might this public airing of his crime affect the rest of his life?
I have asked quite a few questions, haven't I? I would like to hear what you think, and next week, I will try to provide some of those elusive answers.
• Jim Davis is DuPage editor and a 34-year resident of Naperville. He can be reached at (630) 955-3535 or jdavis@dailyherald.com.
Recent Columns
• Should we name the teen accused of attacking Kyle? (5/23)
• Are we really helping by being politically correct? (5/16)
• 'Vomit' note reopens volatile issue of race-identification (5/9)
• Why we make the intrusive calls everyone dreads (5/2)
• Yes, we have to make money, but ... (4/25)
• Writing for our friends at Ogden and Aurora (4/18)
• Gleam in Stu's eye, is how we got to Naperville (4/4)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To contact Jim Davis send email to jdavis@dailyherald.com
© 2003 Daily Herald, Paddock Publications, Inc.
Privacy Policy | AP Copyright
Posted May 23, 2003
The Kyle Signorelli trial reflects the delicate nature of dealing with children and crime and the news.
I call it the Kyle Signorelli trial even though he is the victim. The accused I do not name because the case is being tried in juvenile court - and we almost never name juveniles accused of crimes.
That is our policy, and it mirrors the way the law works. The names of juveniles are withheld when they are arrested and charged with a crime. Even if they are convicted of a crime in juvenile court, their records are not available to the public. (The media do, though, have full access to juvenile court hearings.)
It is all about protecting children from being haunted for life by a youthful mistake. And in many, maybe most, cases this makes sense. Should a 16-year-old who gets busted at a drinking party have his name splattered all over the newspaper? A troubled 14-year-old vandal? Should they be given the same level of scrutiny as adults? Most would say no.
But the Signorelli case gives me pause.
Kyle is a 19-year-old from Naperville. The trial is suspended for at least a week because he was supposed to testify, but he is in the hospital recovering from pneumonia. The pneumonia is a complication that developed because of his spinal cord injury, which left him a quadriplegic. The spinal cord injury occurred, prosecutors charge, because another kid slammed Kyle head-first into the ground.
The aggravated battery trial hinges on whether the head-slamming was a premeditated and intentional assault - or if it was a typical fight between two teens with tragic results.
Here's a question I have heard as this trial unwinds: Is the defendant, then 16, accused of inflicting this damage not accountable? Why shouldn't we name him as we cover the trial?
Here's another detail that makes it even stickier: The magic age in Illinois is 17. Reach that age, and you will be tried as an adult for crimes big and small; you will be fair game for the TV cameras and your local newspaper's police blotter. The teen accused of paralyzing Kyle Signorelli was 16 at the time; he is now 17. Shouldn't he be held up to the media glare?
That might seem like a bad idea if he is exonerated, but what if he is convicted? Should we name him then? Our policy says no.
Let's say we throw away the rules for this trial - and trust me when I tell you newspapers can devise all the policies in the world, but they never seem to cover all the nuances - what do we do in future circumstances?
Do we toss aside our procedures completely? Do we make a concerted effort to get the names of every juvenile accused of every crime we deem newsworthy? And where, exactly, do we draw the line on newsworthiness?
There is an argument to be made for full disclosure. Why not run the name of a juvenile convicted of underage drinking? He shouldn't have done it. A few lines in the newspaper could be viewed as a little added punishment.
But here's the rub: How do you feel about it if you are the parent, relative or friend of an alleged youthful offender? And you know the offender's full story - the one everyone else will never see on TV or in the paper? How might this public airing of his crime affect the rest of his life?
I have asked quite a few questions, haven't I? I would like to hear what you think, and next week, I will try to provide some of those elusive answers.
• Jim Davis is DuPage editor and a 34-year resident of Naperville. He can be reached at (630) 955-3535 or jdavis@dailyherald.com.
Recent Columns
• Should we name the teen accused of attacking Kyle? (5/23)
• Are we really helping by being politically correct? (5/16)
• 'Vomit' note reopens volatile issue of race-identification (5/9)
• Why we make the intrusive calls everyone dreads (5/2)
• Yes, we have to make money, but ... (4/25)
• Writing for our friends at Ogden and Aurora (4/18)
• Gleam in Stu's eye, is how we got to Naperville (4/4)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To contact Jim Davis send email to jdavis@dailyherald.com
© 2003 Daily Herald, Paddock Publications, Inc.
Privacy Policy | AP Copyright