Why we didn't do the story

"You aren't famous until my mother has heard of you." - Jay Leno

A story ran in the Mille Lacs County Times. It didn't run in the Mille Lacs Messenger. And there is a good reason.

The story headline is "DWI for snowmobiler." Now, it is good to inform the public that snowmobile riders can get a DWI for riding their sled with a blood alcohol level that exceeds the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Just like driving a car. There is no reason for people to be operating any vehicle while they are intoxicated — especially with a PBT reading of 0.223 percent.

The story is of a criminal act. The defendant resides in the northern half of the county and is the son of a public figure. But that still didn't make the grade in our books for making it news.

People have asked why we didn't run the story.

We could have. Freedom of the Press guarantees that. And Freedom of the press is "to be guarded as an inalienable right of the people in a free society. It carries with it the freedom and the responsibility to discuss, question and challenge actions and utterances of government and of public and private institutions. Journalist uphold the right to speak unpopular opinions and the privilege to agree or disagree with the majority."

Amen.

It is our policy at the Messenger to make every attempt to accurately report on criminal activity within our readership area. A crime was allegedly committed here. And we didn't run the story.

Why?

Our crime writing policy at the Messenger continues to be that we report on felony level crimes or above. With a few exceptions. If the crime, or alleged crime, was committed at a lessor level than a felony and was allegedly committed by an elected official or public figure, that may make it into the paper.

But just because a person is the son, or daughter, of a public official doesn't necessarily make the news.

This alleged crime was a gross misdemeanor. Not a felony. It didn't pass the policy test.

While writing crime stories, I read a lot of criminal complaints from the District Court. Sometimes, often times, I read them in total shock. It is hard for me to believe what one human being can do to another human being. Violent crimes are the worst criminal complaints to read. Sometimes, I want to cry. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I want to throw-up. And I haven't — yet. Just that little bit of bile in the back of the throat once in a while.

There are some criminal complaints that make me chuckle and even laugh out loud. Some people are just funny no matter what the situation and it gets written up by the law enforcement officer that way. Some people are not really trying to be funny, it just comes across that way sometimes. And then some people think they can get away with whatever they want. Some people think they are above the law.

While the entertainment value in the criminal complaint of the story that we didn't run ranked way up on the top, it still couldn't pass our test.

If you are total curious now about the story we didn't run, I haven't checked, but would be willing to bet you can find it on the Times website.

There are exceptions to our policies at the Messenger. And the Editor, Brett Larson, can run (pretty much) whatever he chooses. Although we try to stick to our own rules as much as possible.

Have a great weekend! Ride responsibly. Have fun and enjoy the snow!

Peace.