Publication of sexual assault accuser’s name raises issues

Kathleen Carlson

Central Iowa was thrown into the thick of the media’s debate over identification of sexual assault victims when the Ames Tribune released the name of an Ames woman who has accused an Iowa State wrestler and a friend of sexual assault.

A Monday article in the Tribune also identified the address of the alleged victim. She has accused ISU wrestler Alfonzo Cruz, 27, and Phillip Castro, 21, of sexual assaulting her Nov. 22.

The Tribune’s release of the name is an uncommon practice. It is the Iowa State Daily’s policy not to release the names of alleged victims of sexual assault.

Michael Gartner, editor of the Tribune and former president of NBC News, said the release of the woman’s name is an “issue of fairness and an issue of thoroughness.”

If the name of the accused is released, then the name of the victim should be released, he said, because it adds credibility to the story.

Gartner said he would print the names of anybody identified in police records. “If the name is a part of police records, then it is part of the job, reporting the facts,” he said.

This is a violent crime, and we print information about all violent crimes, Gartner said. “This is not a sex crime.”

Gartner said he does not understand why some consider releasing the woman’s name in sexual assault cases an invasion of privacy. “That’s what newspapers do. They print the news. That may sound insensitive, but that’s what newspapers do.”

Gartner said as editor of the Tribune, he made his decision independently of other news media.

“I don’t worry about what other papers do,” he said.

Gartner’s somewhat controversial position was highlighted in April of 1991 when, while at NBC, he decided to air the name of the woman who accused William Kennedy Smith of rape.

Dick Haws, associate professor of journalism, said historically the names of victims of sex crimes are not released.

Under some circumstances, however, the name is released. Those circumstances include if the victim approved the release of the name, in the event of a civil suit and in very unusual criminal cases, Haws said.

“It’s very rare for a sexual assault victim to be identified,” he said.

By identifying the victim, “the Tribune is breaking new ground for Iowa,” Haws said. The identification does not fit any of the standards most newspapers follow, he said. “It appears as though they are treating it as any other felony. I don’t know if any other paper or TV station in Iowa with the same policy [as the Tribune].”

Haws said there are fewer than half-dozen media outlets nationwide that identify alleged victims of sexual assault.

Diane Graham, managing editor of the Des Moines Register, said the Register does not release the names of alleged rape victims unless it gets permission from the victim, or it is a civil case.

Troy McCullough, editor of the Daily, said the Daily does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault because of the emotional harm that identification inflicts.

“I have chosen to follow this policy because I feel the potential emotional harm that could be caused by publishing the name outweighs its news value in this case,” he said.

McCullough said each case is treated individually and the Daily always attempts to contact the alleged victim to determine if he or she wants to be identified. In this case, McCullough said, Daily officials were unable to reach the alleged victim.

“It’s a really tough call to make because on one end you’re not treating the accused and the accuser equally, but on the other end, the nature of the crime itself, which like it or not, still has a very large stigma attached to it in our society,” he said.