Reader suggests The Photo News 'take the moral high road'

As a concerned member of the Monroe-Woodbury community, I would like to raise a concern regarding the “Law & Order” section of your newspaper. While I understand the need to raise awareness about criminal activity in the town, it is not clear why the names of the accused need to be revealed. Given that the people identified are merely “accused” it seems unnecessary to make the public aware of the charges. Once the person is prosecuted and properly processed through the legal system, perhaps then it might be time to reveal the outcome of the case. Alternatively, why not refrain from publishing the names of the accused, as such a mention can bring undue shame upon a person who has yet to be convicted of a crime. As I see it, this merely creates a culture wherein curious town residents look to the paper to serve as local paparazzi and provide the latest town gossip a la US Weekly or Page Six of the New York Post. I would imagine your aspirations for this paper are higher than that. While I understand that publishing such information may in fact be legally permissible, I would appreciate you considering the opinion of this concerned member of the community who is asking that you take the moral high road by focusing more on the larger successes and issues in our town. For instance, while I appreciate you acknowledging the conclusion and results of a year-long drug investigation, perhaps provide some nuanced perspective by doing some additional investigation and adding some insight into what a major issue drug use among teens and young adults has become in our town. Offer suggestions in addition to merely reporting the facts, a far more noble service to the community. Local papers provide the opportunity not just to inform residents but to engage them in a way that will improve our community in a lasting and meaningful way. Despite this being election season and I providing no endorsement of a specific candidate, I would hope this letter can find its way into your paper, as I feel there are many members of the community who would appreciate it. Jed Carmichael