Editorial: How The Journal plans to cover crime

Well, it’s pretty rare to hear directly from me in editorials in back-to-back weeks.

In last week’s issue, I had the pleasure of introducing The Journal’s new full-time reporter, Jeremy. In his 10 or so days on the job so far, Jeremy has dove headfirst into several stories of importance to our community, including the news of a Ritzville man who has been charged with first degree rape by the Adams County Prosecutor’s office.

Jeremy, along with myself, carefully reviewed court documents of the case that we received after submitting a public records request to the county. The follow-up article that ran in this week’s issue—after the initial article that ran in the June 20 issue—contains information about recent and future court proceedings related to the case, as well as trying to provide more information about what allegedly happened on June 3.

I am sure some of our readers are wondering why The Journal feels the need to include a relatively detailed report of what was alleged to have happened that night. (And it’s vital for readers to remember that these are allegations, and to not mistakenly interpret them as fact. That is for a jury to decide.)

To put it plainly, we believe it’s our duty to report and shine a light on topics that affect the members of our community. Public safety, clearly, is one of those topics. We owe it to our readers—who are parents, teachers, business owners, city and county officials and community members—to inform them of what is happening in their neighborhood, in their city and in their county.

As someone who’s lived his entire life in small, rural communities, I’ve never seriously thought about crime as a pressing issue that I needed to actively be worried about. But it doesn’t mean that crime was simply non-existent in these communities, and it doesn’t mean it was something I shouldn’t have taken seriously.

As I look back on it, I think one of the biggest reasons why I didn’t take it seriously when I was younger was because my local newspaper—the only news media organization in the area—didn’t seem to take it seriously. Now, as I find myself in the unique position to decide what does and does not get included in each weekly issue of The Journal that is seen by thousands, I am determined for us not to make those same oversights.

With that being said, I am excited to say that The Journal will be renewing its focus on crime and public safety in eastern Adams County. That will include coverage of criminal trials, the impact crime has on affected communities and individuals, and transparency regarding crime in our communities—with the continued cooperation and partnership of local law enforcement agencies.

Crime and public safety is just one of the topics that we look forward to reporting more on at The Journal. We also plan to provide more in-depth reporting on healthcare, education and local economic issues, in an effort to increase both your understanding and our understanding of important issues facing our community.