Coverage of a reporter's arrest

By: Joe Strupp prompts press debate in Utah

Dueling daily papers offer evidence of differing views on news
in wake of case involving one of their own

When Reporter Shawn Foster of The Salt Lake (City, Utah) Tribune was arrested for allegedly soliciting a prostitute, Tribune editors did not believe the event was worth a story, deciding to quietly discipline the staff writer without a public acknowledgment.
But at The Deseret News, the Tribune's crosstown rival, the arrest made news in that newspaper's local section, in part because Foster had fraudulently claimed he was working undercover on a story when the arrest occurred, and struck a police officer with his car while trying to leave the scene.
The incident raised the question in both newsrooms of how newspapers should handle the arrest of their employees on such minor charges, and how to guard against reporters wrongly misusing their position to defend criminal acts.
"We had a good debate over two meetings, and the consensus was that we would not [cover the story]," said James E. Shelledy, editor of the 129,000-daily circulation Tribune, which is owned by the Telecommunicatons Inc. group. He added that the paper would not cover such an arrest if it involved any other nonpublic figure, so it should not cover Foster.
Foster, who declined to be interviewed and would not give his age, was arrested on the night of Aug. 27 in a downtown area known for prostitution, according to Shelledy. When police approached him as he allegedly attempted to solicit sex, he tried to flee in a car and bumped an officer, according to a report in the alternative Salt Lake City Weekly. When officers finally nabbed Foster, he told them he was researching a story on prostitution and was actually on assignment for the Tribune, an excuse he eventually admitted was not true.
Foster was cited for solicitation of sex and disorderly conduct, two Class B misdemeanors, booked into jail, and released. He eventually paid a $50 fine for each offense and has not had to respond to any further charges, according to Shelledy.
Shelledy would not discuss what kind of punitive action was taken against Foster, saying only that he had been disciplined, but not fired. He said the reporter had been reassigned to federal court coverage, but not because of the arrest.
Shelledy agreed that Foster acted improperly when he misrepresented himself as someone on assignment, but said the reporter only made the statement out of panic and not for any financial gain or in a premeditated way.
But at The Deseret News, Editor John Hughes had a different take on the arrest, choosing to publish an eight-inch story 12 days after the incident. Hughes said the arrest deserved coverage because it involved a well-known reporter.
"We didn't take much glee in that kind of story, but we had a fairly high-level discussion among our editors and decided to publish it," Hughes said.
Hughes, whose 61,000-daily circulation paper is owned by the Mormon Church, said he was surprised that the Tribune did not publish a story. "It passes the yardstick for news," he said. "A reporter hitting a police car and pretending to be on assignment? That is a story."
Shelledy said he believed the story received closer attention from The Deseret News because Salt Lake City police, who have been critical of Foster's police coverage, urged them to cover the arrest.
Salt Lake City Police Lt. Phil Kirk said officers informed the Tribune that one of its employees had been arrested, but did not leak the news to any other media outlet.

(Editor & Publisher WebSite:http:www.mediainfo.com) [Caption]
(copyright: Editor & Publisher October 2, 1999) [Caption]