On July 20, the Loudoun Times-Mirror ran a story in their online version about an armed robbery, “Four men robbed in Sugarland Run.” The piece went on to say that while the men were walking, three men approached them and one suspect showed the men his gun and demanded their money. The article gave the description of the man from the Loudoun County Sheriff‘s Office as “6 feet tall, 170 pounds, and was last seen wearing a white shirt and blue pants.” A tip line number for the Sheriff was given. Now it would seem to me that a key component to the suspect’s description was left-out of the story. How could anyone ever help identify the suspect if they do not even know what to which race he belongs? My question then became…Was this intentional on behalf of the Loudoun Times-Mirror or simply an oversight? I called the newspaper and spoke with a staff writer who wished to remain nameless, who told me that the paper follows the AP Stylebook and that “all mention of race must be taken out of every story.” However, the latest edition of the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook allows the identification of someone by race if it is important to the story. The guidelines state: "the term 'black' is acceptable for a person of the black race." When offering a description of a dangerous suspect still at large, race is definitely important. I was also told by the staffer that the suspect was in fact black. The staffer told me that he/she would like to list the race of every suspect, and finds it ridiculous that the paper no longer allows it. I sent an email to Paul Smith, the executive editor of the Loudoun Times-Mirror, asking for an explanation, but never received a reply. Given the current standards of the Loudoun Times-Mirror, every six foot tall man could be the suspect if only he put on a white shirt and blue pants!…That includes thousands of police officers! This country has now reached the point where we are so afraid to be called racist, that we cannot even give an accurate description of a violent criminal, which is of course, to the detriment of all races. If anyone would like to send a message about this policy to the paper’s editor Paul Smith, the following is his contact information: ( 703 ) 777 - 1111
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Comments
Its all becoming very stupid now....soon the country would rebel against this stupidity.
I hope that all blue-eyed people don't get together one day and decide that a physical description of a suspect including the words "blue eyes" is offensive to them as a group. As a Caucasian, I give the police and media my wholehearted permission to describe any known Caucasian criminal suspect as "white". The only people who should have a complaint about race being included in a physical description is the suspect being sought.
It seems that Times-Mirror article has been retroactively changed.
"One of the robbers is described as a 6 feet tall, 170 pound black male, and was last seen wearing a white shirt and blue pants, Troxell said."
loudountimes.com/news/2009/jul/20/Robbery/print/
This is the Loudoun Times-Mirror responding.
First, it is not our policy to omit all mention of race. That was a misunderstanding. We follow AP style: Race is not to be used as the sole identifier of a person, but when it serves a useful purpose as part of a broader description of a person, it is to be included. The online version of this particular story has been updated, and it appeared correctly in print.
Secondly, your report contains inaccuracies. For example, our reporter gave you her name. Also, you never identified your affiliation or stated your purpose in the call. Disclosing your identity and purpose before conducting an interview is a basic tenet of good journalism.
We regret the misunderstanding on our race policy, and we welcome all comments and questions, as well as criticism.
Isn't mentioning the gendre of criminals sexist? And isn't mentioning their weight discriminatory against fat people?
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