METH SERIES REFLECTS NEWS DILEMMA

A woman reader left this message on my phone last week:

"I was just wondering why you put practically the recipe to make meth in
the News Sentinel. Now some kids will get a hold of that and try it."

She was referring to part of the "Meth Explosion" series the newspaper
produced in collaboration with WBIR-TV, Channel 10. One sidebar listed
equipment and chemicals used to make methamphetamine and told how to spot a
meth lab and report suspicious activity.

I thought the stories by J.J. Stambaugh were excellent. He provided
historical context to the problem, chronicled its growth and described the
human toll.

But the caller wasn't the only one to complain that the articles also
assisted would-be dope dealers.

The complaint points to a dilemma the newspaper often faces. Will the
information it presents be misused?

There are some things the media generally don't report out of concern for
the harm that might come. Rape victims generally are not identified to
avoid adding to their pain. Undercover police officers typically are not
named. Details of ongoing investigations may be kept out of the paper, too.

Reporters have often sat on military secrets. William Leonard Laurence got
the scoop of the century when he learned of the development of the atomic
bomb, but he and The New York Times withheld publication until the weapon
was revealed to the world.

We don't usually offer instructions on how to commit crimes, either. But
sometimes we come close.

Newspapers, for example, have been criticized for telling burglars how to
break into homes by publishing stories about weaknesses in home security.
Reporting that someone is out of town is sometimes cited as an invitation
to burglary as well.

I don't think the list of equipment and chemicals we published Wednesday
constituted a recipe for methamphetamine. I certainly couldn't assemble
those elements and make the drug. But might the list give a criminal ideas?
Perhaps.

However, it might also lead to the detection of a dangerous drug lab.

As one of my colleagues commented, "If I saw a bunch of that stuff in my
kid's room, you'd hear a real meth explosion."

The newspaper's bias is naturally in favor of publishing. It's our
business, and we believe in the free flow of information. We tend to fear
the consequences of secrecy more than those of disclosure.

This newspaper's motto is, "Give light and the people will find their own
way." Those words appear every day next to the masthead on our Comment page.

We believe in that philosophy and try to live up to it. In the short run,
it may bring unwelcome information to light. In the long run, it makes us a
stronger society.