We have noted, dozens of times, the McClatchy Mugshot Policy. Though I have never been able to find it officially published, when it was first emailed to McClatchy reporters and editors, a couple of the recipients sent it out via Twitter, which is the source of the image to the left, with the full text being printed in the footnote.[1]McClatchy Mugshot Policy:
Publishing mugshots of arrestees has been shown to have lasting effects on both the people photographed and marginalized communities. The permanence of the internet can mean … Continue reading
The Lexington Herald-Leader, a McClatchy-owned newspaper, has made several exceptions to the mugshot policy, but, as we have noted previously, a policy which was put in place because publishing mugshots “disproportionately harms people of color and those with mental illness,” has seen many of the exceptions made when the suspect in a crime is white, and very rarely when the suspect is black. This site, which does publish mugshots, has wondered why the newspaper concealed the pictures of Jo’Quon Anthony Edwards Jackson, or Juanyah J Clay?
Well, here they go again!
Suspended Lexington middle school principal resigns. State license board may take action
Mike Hale, photo by Fayette County Public Schools, and published here.
by Valarie Honeycutt Spears | Thursday, February 15, 2024 | 9:07 AM EST | Updated: Friday, February 16, 2024 | 6:47 AM ESTA Lexington middle school principal who has been suspended since April 2023 has resigned, a letter released Wednesday under the Kentucky Open Records Act said.
In April 2023, Fayette County Public Schools school officials placed principal Gregory Michael Hale on administrative leave. They have never said why, only citing “the public nature of the situation”. State child protection officials have not released details of their investigation to the Herald-Leader.
In a Oct. 2, 2023 resignation letter released to the Herald-Leader, Hale said, “My intent is to use my vacation, personal, emergency and sick leave. Therefore, I render my resignation as executive principal at Winburn Middle School effective June 11th, 2024. It has been wonderful working for Fayette Public Schools and I wish you and everyone in the system the very best.“
The spokesperson for the Kentucky state department that handles child protection said in April they were investigating a situation that resulted in Hale being placed on administrative leave. No other information was given at the time.
Read more here.
Yes, what my best friend used to call the Herald-Liberal did publish that photo of Mr Hale, which I screen captured at 8:44 AM EST on Friday. I did crop the photo for easier publication.
Mrs Spears’ report continued to tell us that the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board, which licenses professional educators, denied an open records request on the case, stating that their investigation has not yet been completed, and that Fayette County Public Schools Chief of Staff Tracy Bruno stated that the district does not comment on personnel matters. State child protection officials did not respond to inquiries from the newspaper.
So, what do we have here? The references to state child protection agencies would naturally lead readers to infer that Mr Hale is suspected of some form of inappropriate contact with minors, but here we have a middle school principal who was suspended ten months ago, yet has not been charged with any crime, and the newspaper, if it has any inside information on the case, has not reported it. With the McClatchy Mugshot Policy stating, “The permanence of the internet can mean those arrested but not convicted of a crime have the photograph attached to their names forever,” would that not pertain even more strongly to a man who has yet to be arrested and charged with a crime?
References
| ↑1 | McClatchy Mugshot Policy:
Publishing mugshots of arrestees has been shown to have lasting effects on both the people photographed and marginalized communities. The permanence of the internet can mean those arrested but not convicted of a crime have the photograph attached to their names forever. Beyond the personal impact, inappropriate publication of mugshots disproportionately harms people of color and those with mental illness. In fact, some police departments have started moving away from taking/releasing mugshots as a routine part of their procedures. To address these concerns, McClatchy will not publish crime mugshots — online, or in print, from any newsroom or content-producing team — unless approved by an editor. To be clear, this means that in addition to photos accompanying text stories, McClatchy will not publish “Most wanted” or “Mugshot galleries” in slide-show, video or print. Any exception to this policy must be approved by an editor. Editors considering an exception should ask:
If an exception is made, editors will need to take an additional step with the Pub Center to confirm publication by making a note in the ‘package notes‘ field in Sluglife. |
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I find myself in the unenviable position of defending the mainstream media: the picture in question isn’t a mugshot. Mugshot, in the context of the McClatchy policy, is the booking photo taken at the Police Office. What they displayed in the above article is likely the man’s employee photo. Not the same thing.
However, a policy of not showing photographs of people who are not charged or arrested would be a good one.
I think the fact that they used the term “mug shot” is very misleading. Five years ago I would have thought nothing of it but in today’s media world where deception lies gas lighting and cover ups our standard operating procedure I assume they use the term mug shots so that they can get around any other pictures they want to use. Pardon me for being skeptical but since they’re all liars I assumed the deception is built into the statement for future reference. If liberals are anything they are quite bright and quite tricky.