Controversy in Seattle over publication of photos of "persons of interest"

[ificandream]

Those of you in the Seattle area may already be familiar with this, but for those, as I am, who aren't:

The FBI wants to talk to two men who were observed near the ferry boats in Washington state. They seemed, according to news reports, to be interested in the ship's operation, and were photographed. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran an initial story here http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/328396_ferries21.html and here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/328396_ferries21.html with no picture of the two men. This caused some controversy and the editor responded to that here: http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/thebigblog/archives/120406.asp

A local TV station did run a picture of the two men here: http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_082007WAB_suspicious_ferry_passengers_TP.53aaa2a3.html. The Seattle Times also ran the picture, but on the second day of the story.

The P-I elected not to publish the photos, citing civil liberties and privacy concerns, which editors felt outweighed the newsworthiness of the images. "We have no confirmation that these men's behavior was anything but innocuous, and to forever taint them by associating them with terrorism under these circumstances is not consistent with our policy," said David McCumber, P-I managing editor. There's also the question of a possible lawsuit if they're wrong.

Conservatives I know think the PI should have published the pictures. As a former journalist myself, I argue what the PI did was correct and that until there's more evidence of wrongdoing, they shouldn't.

Your thoughts ...

[youngdem]

1. Given the track record of the FBI and CIA crying wolf every six weeks

to goose the Chimp's ratings, I don't blame the editors for thinking twice about libeling these men without anything more than suspicion.

If the FBI and the White House were more judicious in telling the public such things, and if the reality wasn't that EVERY SINGLE TIME this sort of bullshit gets publicized, a week later it is proven to be BULLSHIT, then there might be a more cooperative attitude.

I agree with the PI's decision not to defame these men without any evidence. If the FBI wants to find them, then go use all of your new Big Brother toys to track them down.

[ificandream]

5. ...and, of course, what isn't said...

... is that these guys could be Middle Eastern. The righties will complain that that's exactly the reason the pictures should be published. But this racial profiling shit and the losing of our civil liberties hurts all of us. You kinda wonder why the righties don't see that.

[shraby]

2. If they were such "persons of interest", why didn't

the FBI keep track of them when they took the photo? They could have put a tail on them on the spot. Instead, they insinuate guilt in the newspapers?? Sure sounds fishy to me.

[ManiacJoe]

6. The FBI did not take the photo.

The photo was taken by the ferry workers, who noticed that the two men in question were not behaving like normal tourists. The reports and photo(s) were later turned over to the FBI.

[bahrbearian]

3. Way to go Post-Intelligencer

[maxsolomon]

4. they closed the coleman dock & rerouted ferries the other day

because someone abandoned their BONG in the bathroom.

a little jumpy over there.