Increasingly I am getting requests from people who have been arrested in the past, had their name released by police to local media, and now find they are having a hard time finding/keeping a job because employers are Googling their name.
It usually goes this way.
"I was arrested and convicted of drug possession 10 years ago and I'm having trouble finding a job. Potential employers Google my name and the first thing that comes up is that story of my arrest. I've been clean ever since, but this is ruining my life."
People need to realize that you own your crime for the rest of your life with the internet and it will continue to haunt you. It may prove to be more of a burden than your fine, sentence, and criminal record.
I'm sympathetic toward people who have made a mistake in life, everybody does, so I always listen carefully.
Village Media gives editors a fairly liberal opportunity to exercise our judgment in these cases...they trust us.
So I listen to their story. If it's a fairly minor offence it's a no-brainer. Everyone deserves a second chance. But I need to hear contrition and some evidence that the person has turned their life around and is showing some respect.
Some have been pardoned and are willing to provide proof, others may have had charges dropped by police. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and after a short conversation, we come to a conclusion.
To be clear, I never take the story down but may delete the person's name from it. That gives them the second chance. I don't control other media obviously, so while their name may no longer be on BayToday, when police release names they are usually picked up by other media and published.
I had a call one time from a father on behalf of his son asking that we take the name down. He hadn't thought about other media carrying it, and even the police website had it. He was distraught and had no idea where else it might be published.
I also get people who are very aggressive and threaten me with lawyers if I don't take the story down. This never works. BayToday has every right to publish names released by police for being arrested, These people are free to spend additional money on legal fees, but any reputable lawyer will say "don't waste your time and money."
I've also had a couple of people tell me it's none of my business, when I ask for details. This won't help your case. I'm asking so I can make an informed decision.
Serious crimes are another matter.
I once had a request from someone who was convicted of violent sexual assault. Possessing pot is one thing, but conviction for sexual assault won't get you any sympathy here,
The reason I don't delete stories is that I don't want to have a broken link if someone in the future searches it. Name deletion works.
Finally, I feel an obligation to help. When people are arrested we carry your name. We don't have the staff or resources to follow the case through court, so if you are found innocent, we'll never know unless you tell us. If that's so, contact me.
Here's a reply I received after a recent request.
"Below is a link to the Bay Today article, thank you for removing my name. This is the last thing linking me to my past and I truly appreciate having my name removed from it. There is a lot of stigma with drug addiction, and now that I am in recovery and have done a lot of hard work to get my life back, this is the last thing holding me back. So truly, thank you."
Some people argue that the media shouldn't print the names of those arrested if we aren't going to follow up. I feel torn by that, to be honest, because I see both sides of the coin. I'll address that in a future Jeff's Jots.
Got a question about why we do what we do? Drop me a line at [email protected]
