Inept Reporting Hurts Homicide Survivor's Families

The families of homicide victims suffer more than the loss of a loved one. They often must suffer the long road to finding closure for their loss. Often, that road is a dead end. 

Another indignity they must endure is the often well-meaning media's mistakes and inaccuracies. 

On September 16, WANE-15 published and aired this news story.

WANE 15 offered a list of local homicides by victim names followed by the word "no arrests have been made".

Just one problem:

The list is incorrect since, in three of the homicide victims cases listed, ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE. In fact, WANE 15 reported those arrests on their own air and on their website. 

Rather than rely on WANE's own reporting, the Maven has used the more credible reporting of the Journal Gazette's Jamie Duffy to highlight WANE 15's errors.

According to WANE 15’s list: 

Kenneth Frierson II, 28, was killed June 19 in the 5400 block of Werling Drive, Fort Wayne. No arrests have been made.

But the Journal Gazette shows otherwise:

According to WANE 15’s list: 

Allen Lamar Ruffin, 31, was killed on July 21 in the 2500 block of Lillie Avenue Fort Wayne. No arrests have been made.

But the Journal Gazette published this:

According to WANE 15’s list: 

Frederick Sanders, 29, was killed on July 26 in the 1100 block of East Lewis St. Fort Wayne. No arrests have been made.

But the Journal Gazette reported this:

WANE 15's list also included the name of a suicide victim who died in a murder-suicide. Honoring the long-standing journalistic practice of not naming suicide victims, the Maven will not list the name but will point out to WANE 15 that making an arrest of a perpetrator of a murder/suicide is not only unlikely, but it's also physically impossible.