By Andy Howell | PinalCentral
(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are published for discussions purposes only.)
Back before the internet and social media, newspapers (and some TV news stations) had unwritten policies not to publish material and content that might encourage bad behavior.
It was back when the role of gatekeeper was part of the responsibility of a community newspaper. But the rules have changed in a multiplatform media world where people can publish their own material through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media outlets, as well as sharing through group texts.
This week a city official questioned our decision to publish a story along with photos of gang graffiti at Casa Grande’s Carr McNatt Park. He said he understood that some newspapers have policies against publishing such material because the publicity might encourage such activity. He wondered what the Casa Grande Dispatch’s policy was.
