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By Todd Epp
News Director, KELO.com News
KELO.com News will not publish the so-called “implicated person’s” name from a recent series of South Dakota unsealed state court-issued warrants.
We understand the South Dakota Supreme Court, in a 285-page decision, decided to allow the warrants to be unsealed by a state circuit court.
We also realize that some other South Dakota media outlets have revealed the “implicated person’s” name, including one of our newswire providers, the Associated Press.
Our policy is that KELO.com News will not put out the name of a criminal suspect or a defendant unless it is announced by law enforcement, is from an arrest on the record, or is from an unsealed indictment.
We believe this policy protects an individual’s right to privacy and their right to be considered innocent until proven guilty. We also think it is the decent thing to do.
Whether a person is rich or poor, black or white, famous or unknown, or any other factor, it makes no difference to our policy. It applies to everyone who may have dealings with law enforcement.
We also understand that law enforcement does not usually provide these details. It is often to ensure that their investigations are not compromised. However, law enforcement also knows better than any one of us that tracing leads sometimes takes the investigation into dead ends, and more importantly, toward people who may well be innocent as the investigation unfolds.
Given the nature of the charges involved with the unsealed warrants combined with no subsequent arrest or indictment, in our view, it does not serve a public service or good to release the “implicated person’s” name. We believe releasing the name would only tar a person–for life–of unsubstantiated or untrue allegations of the worst kind. That is a bell that cannot be unrung.
KELO.com News also realizes that this position may put us at odds with some of our fellow members of the media. But we also believe in trying to do right by people and our listeners and readers, regardless of what other media outlets choose to do.
In this instance, if the criteria listed above happen, KELO.com News will report the story and provide the “implicated person’s” name. Until then, we will not.
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