Student Publications
University of Houston
151C Communications Bldg
Houston, TX 77204-4015
713.743.5350

©1991-2007
Student Publications,
All rights reserved.

Last modified:

Contact:
ktruitt@uh.edu

Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                Chris Elliott                        Robyn Morrow                  Johnny Peña
                                      Fabian Sifuentes              Kristen Young

Mayor's daughter's arrest not newsworthy 

It is an unwritten rule for news organizations to withhold names of minors accused of crimes in order to protect privacy, but when the minor is the daughter of Mayor Bill White, don't be surprised to see that rule broken.

And broken it was when Houston news outlets learned of the arrest of 17-year-old Elena Wells White at 11 p.m. Monday for suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

While the world watches the Middle East slowly tear itself apart, and the East Coast braces for the first possible landfall of a tropical disturbance this season, Houston news outlets felt it necessary to embarrass Mayor White's daughter instead of reporting on a plethora of other relevant topics.

Thankfully, Mayor White's family has handled this situation with class, a lesson some organizations still need to learn.

Instead of hiding behind spokesmen, Mayor White has confronted the issue head-on by stating his daughter will face the consequences of her actions, though he has questioned the charges.

If members of several news outlets took a COMM 2310 course, then they wouldn't have wasted our time by dedicating so much effort to an irrelevant story. 

They will argue Mayor White's prominence in Houston required them to publish his daughter's name along with the story of her arrest. 

But by using that argument, high-profile journalists would condemn their own children to the same fate if it is discovered they were arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

It isn't anyone's business but the family of the under-age, alleged intoxicated driver and no insight can be gained from a story that is nothing more than gossip material.

If a reporter has a beef with the mayor, they should concentrate on politics and leave his family out of it.

The frenzy surrounding the story only cheapens the industry and separates the reputable outlets from the gossip spreaders.