PRESS: Biased in its headlines

The headlines about the ongoing trials in the Coeur d'Alene Press Local Section on Friday, March 11, were totally inappropriate. One was entitled "Sex abuse trial delayed again" by David Cole and the other was entitled "Home wrecker case goes to trial" by Keith Kinnaird.

For some time I have been concerned that the Coeur d'Alene Press has fallen to the same ill as the big city newspapers like the New York Times or San Francisco Chronicle where headlines bias a reader before they even read the article. It seems the parties being charged with crimes in the trial are already guilty according to the headlines by The Press. We used to call this "yellow journalism" because it is biased and put the person being charged on trial in the newspaper and not the court of law where they are presumed innocent until proven otherwise by a jury of our peers.

I was especially dismayed by the "Home wrecker" case headline since it is not clear at all that the individual charged with three felonies ever intended to hurt anyone and should have been given the benefit of the doubt in any article by the Coeur d'Alene Press. It is very hard for me to believe anyone would intentionally plow a house down on someone living there unless he thought the house was empty, period.

I am sure there are two sides to this story, but the Coeur d'Alene Press makes a judgment of guilt by calling the individual charged, Mr. Finman, a "Home wrecker." I find this very offensive and wonder what editor in his right mind would allow this headline to be used. Maybe they use it to sensationalize the headlines to sell more newspapers, but this type of bias is only befitting of the morally corrupt big city newspaper people. I believe the Coeur d'Alene Press owes Mr. Finman a public apology for using this type of biased headline. Let the trial by jury decide his innocence or guilt instead of the Coeur d'Alene Press.

PETE SUTHERLAND

Harrison

Editor's note: The Press on Wednesday published a letter from Mr. Sutherland that was not the one he intended for publication. This one is.