Naming witnesses who may have been intimidated
We'll be carrying stories from our sister-paper, the Long Beach Press-Telegram, about the trial of 10 black youths who are accused of beating three white woman on Halloween. There is a growing interest for the story, partly because of the races involved and the hate crime statutes included in the charges, but also because of alleged witness intimidation of an 18-year-old black woman who testified against the defendants. The Press had declined to name the woman because of these apparent threats, while the L.A. Times have named her. We will not be naming her for the same reason the Telegram isn't. And to be frank, it's not really needed for the story, especially if the naming may put someone's life in jeopardy. There is no clear-fast rule, but sexual crime victims and people genuinely worried about their safety are, in general, a no-brainer, in my opinion. But every case is different.
-note that I'm not linking to the Times story, because if I did what would be the point of not naming the witness.