It’s been the talk of every coffeehouse, every beauty parlor and every water cooler. Better than Court TV. Better than Law & Order. Better than the latest John Grisham thriller.
It involves a brazen, midday murder in suburbia. A black-clad, motorcycle-riding shooter. A tawdry tale of overlapping love affairs entangling a former beauty queen who just happens to be married to the high-profile owner of one of Akron’s most famous restaurants.
The Zack-Zaffino-George case has it all. Let’s face it, this is murder in the first degree of reader interest.
And along with the high volume of interest came the whispers: Why did it take so long for the Akron Beacon Journal to mention the involvement of Tangier owner Ed George and his wife, Cynthia? Why wasn’t the story pursued more aggressively?
Consider this comment from an anonymous reader who says he expects in-depth reporting from the newspaper:
“Are you guys protecting somebody? This involves a prominent family and I haven’t seen anything that ties this family into what’s really going on.”
Another reader ended his anonymous message with, “What took so long?”
The answer? There’s a basic principle here — fairness — and a key legal consideration — libel. Until prosecutors introduced their case against John Zaffino in the murder of Jeff Zack, there were few details that could have, or should have, been revealed.
It’s the law.
One reader said Ed George “must have his hooks” into the newspaper. Another suggested the advertising dollars coming from Tangier paid for silence.
In reality, the Beacon Journal resisted naming Cindy George until court documents showed she would be integral to the prosecution’s case. That’s consistent with the paper’s policy.
“Cindy George has not been charged with any crime,” said David Hertz, the editor in charge of local news coverage. “We treated her like anyone else and didn’t connect her to the Zack case until her name came up in a public forum.”
Now, in the wake of Zaffino’s conviction on Tuesday, readers are asking: “Why wasn’t Cindy George charged?”
The answer? Evidence. The police consult lawyers, too, and they are not about to charge someone without adequate evidence. It’s the law.
Still, the whispers continue.
And so does the investigation.
Some readers complained about one aspect of the coverage that they found insensitive and unnecessary. Prosecutors said one of Cindy George’s children was fathered by Zack and cited it in their opening statement as motivation for Zaffino to kill Zack.
Akron reader Jim Rector said he and his friends would cancel their subscriptions.
“I can’t believe that you allowed your reporter to comment on the illegitimacy of the George child,” he wrote. “It certainly made the article more sensational but illustrates how little compassion you and your paper have for innocent children.”
I asked a group of readers what they thought and the reaction was split.
Nancy Peltier of Akron said the coverage violated the child. “It isn’t something the general public needs to know. People may want to know this, but they don’t need to know it.”
Editors tried to find the best way to convey that information with the least amount of damage to the child. The Beacon Journal did not reveal the age or gender of the child.
I agree with Medina reader Pamela Roeper. “Yes, it is too bad that the Georges’ innocent children are wrapped up in all this mess. But Cindy George made choices that put her children in this situation. Being part of a murder trial is even more scandalous in my mind.”
Finally, there’s the reaction of Akron’s Jim Broers, who says he has known Ed George for 30 years. “Although this is a personal tragedy for him, it is the kids that hold my deepest concerns.”
“Just keep reporting the facts as is being done,” he continued. “People who want more can get their fill of sensational journalism in the checkout lines.”
