This post is not directly related to Kumamoto. If you have an interest in how crimes committed by non-Japanese are presented in the media, you may want to keep reading.
The other day, I saw a report about the following incident on a news program I had recorded:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLDHOF9dEs4
It’s an attempted murder case in which the suspect is alleged to have attacked the policemen who came to see him about a traffic violation. What surprised me was that they only referred to the suspect as “the man” (男は) and did not identify him by name. This surprised me because recently there was a big flap about a Vietnamese person who resisted arrest and fled with handcuffs still attached:
The name of the suspect (along with a picture and his nationality) was published early on, even though he was less violent than the man accused of attempted murder.
I wondered if there were any clear rules about when to go public with personal information and when not to. According to this website that appears to be sponsored by a group of lawyers, there are none:
https://www.fuhyo-bengoshicafe.com/bengoshicafe-12954.html
“この点、法律上特に実名報道の基準はありません。報道機関内で通用しているガイドラインなどもありません。”
In the particular cases I mentioned, there may be a reasonable explanation for the difference in treatment of the suspects, but at this writing I can only speculate about what that might be.
That’s all I wanted to say – just a little note about something I will continue to think about as I consume TV news.
– Kirk
