A McMinnville resident was reportedly involved with a crime-writing incident. Taylor Luke Moore, 24, has been accused of mentioning names of people who allegedly commit crimes in the local news source, the Southern Standard. According to the report, Moore takes public information provided by the courts and publishes it for the knowledge of Warren County. 

All jokes aside, people are often rightfully upset when their loved one shows up in the paper for a crime they may or may not have committed. No one ever wants to see their child, parent, sibling, friend, etc. in the newspaper for breaking the law. I sure don’t.

But what people tend to forget about reporters is that we are also humans with families and are just like many readers who have seen their loved ones in the paper for unfortunate reasons.

My brother’s mugshot was used in a story about his arrest where he had multiple charges against him. This was before I started reporting with the Standard, but it didn’t make me hate the writer of the story or the paper itself.

The author of that story used the information they were given through police reports, finished dockets  and arrest warrants, which is all public information. Anyone could have gathered the information published about my brother on their own, but the Standard did the digging for the readers.

That’s our job, to report accurate accounts of events based on the reports that anyone, not just media outlets, can seek. More recently, another close relative of mine was reported on for the worst crime one can commit, murder.

Many people can say they know someone who has been on the front page for a crime, but not too many can say the same for first-degree murder. It’s disheartening, disappointing and discouraging to see, and I know that as much as anyone.

We all have people in our lives that struggle and sometimes end up in the paper. It’s upsetting and even embarrassing, but that should not go on the shoulders of the reporters. 

Everything included in crime stories is public information, that’s why these are able to be published. There is no speculation in these cases, and those reported on are usually referred to as “alleged” criminals because usually they have not been found guilty of the crimes they were arrested for at the time of publishing.

If you find yourself hurt by seeing your loved one in the paper, you are allowed to be upset. You should be upset. However, think about why you’re upset and who you’re upset with. Are you upset when other crime stories are published? Or just when it’s your loved one?

If that’s the case, it doesn’t sound like you’re upset at the reporting and more upset at the situation. There is no malice in reporting; I’m just writing to inform the public of the public information to which anyone is entitled.

If you’re curious about my relations to certain convicted and alleged criminals, you can call me.

Standard reporter Taylor Moore can be reached at 473-2191.