> we now will no longer name suspects in brief stories about minor crimes in which there is little chance AP will provide coverage beyond the initial arrest .... We will continue to identify suspects by name in stories on significant crimes, such as murder, that would merit ongoing news coverage. In these cases, naming a suspect may be important for public safety reasons. These guidelines also do not include stories about active searches for fugitives.
The article suggests major crimes typically receive follow up articles, hopefully including whether a suspect was acquitted.
> The article suggests major crimes typically receive follow up articles, hopefully including whether a suspect was acquitted.
Maybe AP (and news outlets in general) should make a further commitment to write a "concluding" story about any crimes where they do publish a name, so that there's a news record of the outcome with respect to conviction/acquittal.
You may notice some publications pick and choose who they’ll publish names of, and that can be a reason why: if they publish the name, it’s because they’ll be following the case and publishing its outcome, while if they don’t, it’s because they don’t intend to do so.
The article suggests major crimes typically receive follow up articles, hopefully including whether a suspect was acquitted.