| March 1998 |
| One Editor's View On Covering Juvenile Court Proceedings Changes in the law that opened juvenile hearings has been well received by readers but not by public defenders, according to one editor. Since the law went into effect in October, the public has been allowed access to hearings where the crime alleged would be a felony if committed by an adult. "No one has a problem with newspaper coverage of the process. It's using the juvenile's name that has drawn criticism from public defenders and the parents of the kids," says Tom Marquardt, managing editor of The Capital. The media are able to obtain names spoken in open hearings. MDDC worked with court officials to allow access. (See Press News, Oct. 1997.) Marquardt says the cases have drawn shock from readers, several of whom wrote letters to the editor supporting coverage. Most of the cases involve theft and the defendants have records. His newspaper has used the name of the defendant in all cases they have reported. "These are cases up until now have been kept from the public," says Marquardt. "The public is sick and tired of seeing these kids coddled by the court and the public wants to see their names exposed." The incessant coverage has not been without problem. After making a mistake, Capital editors decided to be more careful when using information about a juvenile's past if it relates to sexual abuse and other sensitive matters. And the newspaper has had to rely on a cooperative state's attorney's office for much of the written information still denied by the court system. But overall, he says, the change in the law has been successful for readers who want an accounting of juvenile court justice. "Witnessing these cases has given us great ideas for enterprise stories. I recommend other newspapers find the staff time to cover these hearings because I think the stories have great value to the readers," Marquardt says.
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