AP Will No Longer Name Suspects in Minor Crime Stories

The Associated Press said Tuesday that it will no longer name suspects in minor crime stories that only cover an arrest with no follow-up.

John Daniszewski, AP’s vice president for standards, said in a statement that in such stories, the news outlet will likely not report on whether charges were later dropped or if the suspect was acquitted.

He said that these stories have “long lives on the internet,” adding that the news outlet’s distribution network can make it difficult for suspects in these cases to later gain employment or “just move on in their lives.”

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Daniszewski also said the news outlet will stop publishing stories driven by an “embarrassing mugshot” {snip}

{snip} AP will still identify suspects by name in stories about “significant crimes” such as murder {snip}