A message from the editors:
The police log and crime stories remain among our most popular features at The Concord Bridge, evidenced by both their high readership online and coffee-shop conversation. In the interest of transparency and consistency during the ongoing reorganization of the newspaper, we want to explain how we get this information and present it to you, our readers.
The Concord Bridge relies on a combination of readily available information from police and the courts supplemented by public records requests made by our reporters and by tips from readers.
The information made available in police documents often comes heavily redacted. We believe in the purpose and power of open records laws and we will continue to request detailed records independently to more fully inform the public.
Reporters monitor police logs, arrests, and court arraignments, carefully considering which items warrant publication. We always strive for fairness and accuracy, especially when naming offenders.
The mainstream media has moved away from reporting the names of those charged with committing most minor and misdemeanor crimes amid a nationwide reckoning on racial justice matters and recognition of longstanding inequities in the criminal justice system. The Concord Bridge agrees that naming individuals accused of these crimes arguably often does more harm than good — both to individuals and to historically marginalized communities.
Our protocol
The Concord Bridge has developed a policy we believe balances our support for transparency in government and the public’s right to know with the ethics of an individual’s right to be forgotten in an era when internet searches retain arrest article results for 10 or more years.
The Bridge does not name juveniles or victims of sexual assault or domestic violence. State law also bars police departments from including such crimes in daily or weekly police logs until after arraignment in court.
In naming defendants, The Concord Bridge will determine whether to publish or withhold identities on a case-by-case basis. We’ll do this within the ethical framework of what we, as a newspaper, believe to be in the public interest.
The paper will refrain from publishing the names of private individuals involved in most minor, nonviolent crimes. Names of defendants charged with serious crimes involving public safety, violence, and other instances that impact communities may be published.
Public figures accused of crimes can be named regardless of the weight of the charge, as their chosen roles in society come with an expectation of upholding integrity and public trust.
Our mission
The Concord Bridge commits to following cases found fit for publication through the court and criminal justice process to the verdict and sentencing.
As Concord’s newspaper of record, we want the community to be our partner in delivering the news that matters. We can’t be everywhere at once; we rely on our readers to help us keep the community informed.
Please contact us at news@concordbridge.org or call or text (978) 505-2776 if you have public safety concerns or see an incident in progress.
