Story violated ethical standards

A story regarding sexual-assault charges in Wednesday's edition of the Southeast Missourian included information that identified the victim of the alleged crimes.

It is a standard of this newspaper, and of most U.S. news organizations, not to disclose the identity of victims of such crimes unless there are unusual and compelling reasons to do so. This is a standard that is recognized by readers of this newspaper, as indicated by the telephone calls and e-mails we received following the publication of Wednesday's story.

We regret, however, that the reporter and copy editor responsible for this story failed to adhere to those standards. As a result, both have been terminated.

It is the aim of the Southeast Missourian to uphold the highest ethical standards of journalism. We apologize for this lapse and will strive to live up to both our journalistic ideals and the expectations of our readers.

-- R. Joe Sullivan, Editor