The Star, like most large North American newspapers, has a strict policy about referring to race. No reference, direct or indirect, should be made to a persons race, colour or religion unless it is pertinent to the story.
In crime stories, particularly, care must be exercised. If police are looking for a suspect, there may be justification for identifying his or her race or colour. Justified means having a description specific enough to narrow it down to a handful of people, according to assignment editor David Annis. Annis was part of a team that met and hammered out this policy on crime suspects a few years back.
But despite the policy, Star stories are still inconsistent, including a hodgepodge of racial references when referring to crime suspects. For example, this past week a story identified a sex-assault suspect as being white, but the next day left out the mans race. The man was described as 45, 6 feet tall with a slim build and black hair worn short on the sides and collar length at the back, with a thin black moustache and a goatee. Is this specific enough to warrant a description of race under the policy?
Another story warned residents about a man who fondles Asian-looking women. This vague racial description is totally gratuitous. The paper has described one attacker as white, about 5-foot-5, slim and in his 20s who had blue eyes … was clean-shaven, covered his face with a blue bandana and wore dark clothing and a light-coloured ball cap. A second, taller man was described in the same story as in his mid to late 20s, with a heavy build, long sideburns or a light beard, wearing dark clothing and a white shirt underneath.
Again, one description included race and the other didnt. Why? Two stabbing suspects were described as “male Asians, Age 19 to 21. One is 5 foot 9, medium build, about 150 pounds. Another is 5 foot 8, medium build, 130 pounds with long hair . . . parted in the middle and down his cheek. Not specific enough, in my mind. The same goes for two robbery suspects described as black, 6 feet tall, with medium builds. They wore black nylon bomber jackets over black-hooded sweatshirts and gloves. One wore a blue and white bandana over his face.
This could describe hundreds of men. But consider your image of a man The Star described as 6 feet tall, 200 pounds, with a muscular build, dark shoulder length hair and a beard and wearing a dark jacket, blue jeans and a white tuque. It does not include race. Yet it gives no concrete image. The policy as it is applied is confusing to readers who often call to ask why we identify a crime suspects race sometimes and not others.
Stories also detail clothing, which can be changed in a flash to purposely alter a suspects look. It is useful to warn people if a crime occurs in a specific area, and police often do this and it is included. Police also routinely release descriptions of skin colour. The paper has decided that they should not be included except in specific cases.
After a suspect is arrested, describing race is rarely justified, the policy says. As Keith Woods, ethics expert at the Poynter Institute, wrote, in order for everyone reading, watching, or listening to the story to conjure up the same image in their minds eye, they must all share a common understanding of what a (specific race) looks like. This might be good fodder for the media analysis section at Ryerson Polytechnic Universitys new diversity website diversitywatch.ryerson.ca. It is an excellent site and this Star policy needs attention. Maybe outside input would be useful.
