AP News Will No Longer Name Minor Crime Offenders

The Associated Press recently announced that it will not name people charged with minor crimes when reporting about those crimes. This has been a trend recently among US newspapers who realize that a story about a minor indiscretion can do permanent damage to that person’s reputation and family. But American arrest information is already public information on certain websites, so what good does it do for the media to censor the name of a person accused of a crime? And isn’t the whole job of the media to hold people accountable, anyway? Duquesne University journalism professor Maggie Jones Patterson explores these questions. (Segment produced by Abby Haralson) (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)