Why does The Philadelphia Inquirer, which won’t publish mugshots of real criminals, make deliberate exceptions for police officers convicted of crimes?

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We have previously covered the death of 12-year-old Thomas “TJ” Siderio, sent to his eternal reward after he shot at police. Naturally, then-Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw suspended and then fired Police Officer Edsaul Mendoza, and, despite the Commissioner declining to publicly name the officer, for his safety, The Philadelphia Inquirer ferreted out his name and published it. Naturally, the George Soros-sponsored, police-hating, softer-than-Charmin-on-crime District Attorney Larry Krasner charged Officer Mendoza with among other things, first degree murder and third-degree murder. Now, two years later, Mr Mendoza has pleaded guilty of doing his job:

Former Philly cop who shot and killed 12-year-old T.J. Siderio pleads guilty to third-degree murder

Edsaul Mendoza was charged with murder two months after the shooting in March 2022.

by Rodrigo Torrejón and Ellie Rushing | Friday, April 19, 2024 | 12:36 PM EDT

Edsaul Mendoza, the former Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Thomas “T.J.” Siderio in South Philadelphia more than two years ago, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder on Friday — becoming the first city officer in recent history to face conviction for murder related to a fatal on-duty shooting.

Mendoza, 28, was charged with first-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter after prosecutors said he chased T.J., then shot him in the back at near point-blank range after the boy tossed away a gun he had been carrying. The March 2022 shooting made T.J. the youngest person ever killed by a city police officer.

Mendoza’s plea marked only the second time a Philadelphia police officer has been convicted of a fatal shooting in recent years, and the first to be convicted of murder. Former police officer Eric Ruch was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter for shooting Dennis Plowden Jr., who was unarmed, after a car chase in 2017 and was sentenced to 11 ½ to 23 months in prison.

I have noted dozens of times that the Inquirer does not publish mugshots of accused or even convicted criminals, and I frequently have to do further online searches to find the mugshots I do publish. But the photo above? The newspaper was certainly willing to ignore its previous policies and publish Mr Mendoza’s photo. I screen captured it from the Inky’s online story at 4:08 PM EDT today. The newspaper did the same thing in the case of former Officer Eric Ruch.

Under Title 18 §106(b)(2) a crime is a felony in the first degree if the sentence thereto can exceed ten years, and for third degree murder maxes out at 40 years. Though the story does not indicate that there was a plea deal in place, my guess is that there was, and Mr Mendoza will receive a far more lenient sentence., perhaps similar to Mr Ruch’s 11½-to-23-month sentence, and much of that might already have been served. I hope that he’s out of jail soon.

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4 thoughts on “Why does The Philadelphia Inquirer, which won’t publish mugshots of real criminals, make deliberate exceptions for police officers convicted of crimes?”

  1. The Inquirer introduces new policy against use of mug shots

    Publishing police mugshots along with crime stories has been widespread and routine. Here’s why The Inquirer is no longer doing it.

    by Danese Kenon, Director of Video and Photography | September 11, 2020 | 4:13 PM EDT

    At most news organizations, mugshots are a default companion to many crime stories. The Inquirer has been no different, routinely publishing dozens of police booking photos a year.

    That is no longer the case. The Philadelphia Inquirer will use mugshots infrequently, and only when there is a compelling reason to include the image.

    Here’s why:

    • Because of longstanding racial disparities in arrest rates, mugshots disproportionately feature Black and Latinx people. Unrelenting, routine publication of such mugshots strengthens stereotypes and contributes to systemic racism.
    • Pre-conviction mugshots are inherently unfair, depicting suspects as criminals before guilt or innocence has been established.
    • Online, mugshots exist indefinitely, easily findable through search engines. Years after the alleged offense, mugshots on Inquirer.com or other news sites can make it harder for individuals to find jobs and move on with their lives.
    • Many published mugshots feature private individuals, charged with routine crimes. They are frequently published out of habit. The news value of these photos is often negligible.

    There are some instances where The Inquirer may still use mugshots. A mugshot may appear if the photo depicts a public figure, for instance, or if the alleged crime has achieved broad, regional or national notoriety. The Inquirer will also consider post-conviction publication of mugshots connected to criminal proceedings that we have followed extensively, if no other appropriate image is available. If there is a compelling and immediate public safety reason to publish a mugshot, we will do so. These uses will be rare.

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