Revenue vs. credibility: The online mug shot debate

Posted by Lisette García on September 16, 2009 at 3:29 PM

Online news outlets in the United States are drawing more page hits and advertising revenue than public ire by posting mug shots with their Web-based crime blotters, reports Tim Padgett in Monday's edition of TIME magazine. Even print tabloids are cashing in on the craze, according to a story published in April by Reason (reprinted in The Week by permission).

The popularity of celebrity mug shots are not a new phenomenon. Meanwhile, whether galleries of ordinary citizens cross lines of ethics or good taste is still being debated, according to the article, titled Newspapers Catch Mug-Shot Mania. Either way, they "are increasingly popular features on newspaper Web sites, which are on a crusade for more page views and the advertising revenue that accompanies additional eyeballs," Padgett writes.

The Chicago Tribune is one of many leading U.S. dailies to feature an online mug shots section.

That motivation bothers Bob Steele, a member of the ethics faculty at the Poynter Institute, which owns the St. Petersburg Times and is a national centre for journalism training. Steele was interviewed by Palm Beach Post staffer Jane Musgrave for an article on the same topic published in June.

"This tactic is not one that's driven by a meaningful journalism purpose. It is driven by financial incentives," Steele said.

Yet fans of the practice seem to outnumber those offended.

"I think it's great," said Tim Lowry of the mug shots that are a high-profile feature of The Palm Beach Post's Web site. "You see who the thieves are out there."

Moreover, at a time when traditional newspapers are struggling, numerous ink-on-wood-pulp newspapers devoted exclusively to the form - most often distributed at gas stations, liquor stores, and corner markets in the sort of neighborhoods more likely to be featured on Cops than HGTV - are selling like hot cakes for $1 a piece. Despite the presumption of innocence governing Western jurisprudence, "what informed citizen isn't interested in knowing exactly who's getting arrested in his neighborhood, and for what?" asks The Week.

As for its legality, some U.S. attorneys suggest the publication of photos without follow-up borders on libel in the case of suspects cleared of wrongdoing, reports the Palm Beach Post. In a modern version of ambulance chasing, other lawyers troll the pages in search of clients, according to the article.