1st Amendment Isn’t a License to Play God
* When did the editors of the Los Angeles Times become God?
On Aug. 19, The Times reported that a Valley merchant shot and wounded a 17-year-old when he and two accomplices tried to rob the merchant at gunpoint. The wounded teen-ager is hospitalized and expected to recover. The other robbers fled and remain at large. OK, so far so good. A straight reporting of an unfortunate incident.
But now comes the part that prompted my opening question. The story goes on to say that the police lieutenant declined to release the name of the store or its owner because, based on previous experience, he feared the danger of threats or worse to the merchant. The Times then printed his name and the location of the merchant.
I am a fierce supporter of the 1st Amendment. A free society must have a free press, but isn’t this an example of yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater?
The Times couldn’t print the name of the wounded suspected robber because he is a juvenile, but it can print the name of the merchant. The police tried to protect a citizen and gave a reason for their actions but The Times decided it knew better. What hubris!
To quote a recent folk hero, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
RYAN MacDONALD
Woodland Hills
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