Dear Editor,
I have some concerns about the weekly publication “Wanted Wednesday,” and the effects it has on family, friends and associates of those named.
I understand the rationale behind these articles and that all of this information is already available to the public. The matter of public safety is also very valid and important.
Despite this, I worry about the impact this is having on our community. How is this helping our community? If the public needs to be advised of a dangerous individual, is this weekly publication the most appropriate way to do so? Or is it making light of people’s situations and adding to the shame and barriers they already face? Naming the publication Wanted Wednesday and highlighting some posts as “Double Trouble” when two individuals are wanted seems almost comical and distasteful.
As someone who works in the school system, I have had students come and tell me that their parent or relative was featured in WW. This is highly distressing for them and sometimes leads to comments and teasing from their classmates. I wonder if this publication is effective or if it’s just creating more victims. Yes, this information is all publicly available, but having pictures posted in the paper weekly and on social media creates more access and exposure to this information.
Word travels fast in a small community such as this one and rumours are rampant when we know the suspects or are only a few degrees of separation from them. What may start as an article on a particular suspect and the crime they’re accused of can end with conversations and speculation about this individual’s personal life, which is no one’s business. This is further exacerbated when these publications are open to comments on social media.
People have critiqued, shamed, and shared demeaning information about the named individuals, which only serves to marginalize these individuals even more. I think it’s safe to assume that the online slander of these suspects merely reflects the conversations occurring verbally after readers see the WW posts in the paper. I recognize that how people consume media is out of the Northern View’s control, but there may be a way to present this information that curbs the rumour and shame-spreading that these posts cause.
All in all, I’m not sure what the right answer is. I just think a second look at the publication’s purpose, effectiveness and impact is needed. Is this publication doing more harm than good? Is the RCMP tracking the efficacy of this system? Is there an alternative publication that could be explored where only suspects who pose a threat to public safety are named and shown?
Yours truly,
Sam Brennan
Prince Rupert