Homicides in Iowa Affecting Journalism Ethics

Humans can find interest in the most obscure, gruesome scenarios. We know this to be true because of the immense amount of Murder Mysteries, serial killer documentaries and true-crime television shows. We like the uncertainty and the mystery of how their brain works, what compelled them to do such a heinous act and how they seem to have no emotions while committing an emotionally driven stunt.

All crimes are different, but similarities can be spotted when a crime is examined hard enough. One similarity that is found, whether it’s a Murder Mystery or a true-crime T.V. show is that the murderer is always glorified and the popularity of most shows can create a buzz around some of the worst human beings.

This buzz gives them more fame, which puts them in the spotlight and is another reason most serial killers and murderers commit homicides; many times they are looking to be recognized. Some of the most famous serial killers like Ted Bundy acted due to the popularity it brought them.

I decided to read ten separate articles about homicides solely in Iowa. The homicides that I read about weren’t as horrifying as the murder mystery documentaries we all watch on Netflix, but every murder is a tragic event.

I wanted to find similarities and differences between various homicides and their articles looking at the severity of them as well as how much information was released at the time; this could be the victim’s name, their background information, the suspect’s name or specific details on the court ruling.

It seems to be obvious that when there is a homicide that occurs, the details of the article are directly related to the timeliness of the event. This is also something that intrigued me. I, along with many other people who are oddly interested in these types of cases, understand that privacy is a real issue and it’s a huge ethical violation when it’s not protected. But at the same time, at what point can detail be released for many reasons more than the public wanting to know everything.

I believe that even if the investigation is ongoing, potential suspects should be named. A suspect is a suspect for a certain reason. For instance, KCRG reports on an ongoing investigation concerning a man who is suffering life-threatening injuries from a gunshot wound to the head, “Officers collected evidence at the scene and interviewed witnesses officials say the investigation is still ongoing”.

Knowing that the investigation is still ongoing and there is no confirmed suspect yet, where does public safety become a priority? A question I ask myself as the world continues to evolve and get crazier each day. We are very unaware of what some people are capable of doing so it’s only right to allow the public to know either more information from the crime scene or an idea of who the suspect could be.

Looking at the details in this short, six paragraphed report, they are basic and precisely what the public needs to know excluding the potential suspect details. This wasn’t the only article that followed the format of a short story with minimal details. In particular, the recent shooting that happened in Cedar Falls on Jan. 21 is one article that fits the description perfectly.

Although the shooting occurred late at night, it was located on Olive St., approximately one street away from the University of Northern Iowa’s Campus. As the University of Northern Iowa proactively informed all students of the event, being a student at the university, I would have liked to see more information on the events and what happened after.

The article states, “Police believe the shooting was an isolated incident, and there is no threat to the public”, but then becomes contradicting as it follows with a statement saying, “If you have any information about the shooting, you’re asked to call the Cedar Falls Police Department…”.

Once again, no information to the public, we are aware that the man was transported to the hospital but it seems that this event was less important than others even though it happened in a very populated area.

In comparison to the shorter articles that may not have enough information to formulate a longer piece, multiple stories go very in-depth involving the case and the people involved, some even reaching into the court documents and statements from the attorneys.

KCCI of Des Moines reported on a homicide outside of the Hawkeye Elks Lodge, somewhere a shooting would not occur. What I enjoyed about this article is that it gave full details on the suspects, what they were charged with, how the situation came to be and how they caught the suspect.

In addition to the report, the journalist was able to reassure the public that Hawkeye Elks Lodge is a safe place. Des Moines Police states, “Hawkeye Elks Lodge has not been a problem spot in the past and does not have a bad reputation”. I have never seen an article that also clears the name of the location but in doing so, it allows the public to understand that there isn’t a reason to be afraid of the Hawkeye Elks Lodge and it is indeed still a safe place.

Being a part of the public at 20 years old and beginning to make adult choices such as thinking about safe places to live, I feel like having an excessive amount of information is better than being left with questions that may never be answered.

Three cases that I read, in particular, allowed all of my questions to be answered. Two stories were written by William Morris of the Des Moines Register, one about a mother strangling her daughter and the second about a 25-year sentence for a Des Moines Native after a shooting in April 2020.

Both of these are articles that examine crimes that had happened in the past year. The articles merely update based on what the judges have decided after ongoing trials or plea deals that had been pushed.

Being that the stories are additions to previous crimes committed and their respecting stories, it’s easier to expect the questions to be answered. The difference between the two stories is that the story of a Des Moines man, Littleton Clark, walks us through the court case, and gives us background on his criminal record. Clark has prior convictions including theft charges and drug and weapon charges.

He has also been involved in two other shootings, one in 2018 and the other in 2019 where he was injured and a man was left for dead. This story about Clark was one of the more serious that I came across during my research.

This being the most violent homicide I found in Iowa provoked me to question why humans are obsessed with the idea of learning about murders. A crime involving the McAbee brothers after they killed a man on Christmas Day in 2019 seemed to be the worst crime I found ethically.

This article popped up because Elijah McAbee,19, requested to lower his bail by more than $1 million. McAbee and brother Milton McAbee, 20, were charged with first-degree murder after shooting Gregory Jackson in Iowa City.

This deep dive into only a snippet of homicides that took place in our Iowa towns, big and small, has allowed me to reflect upon the privacy and safety of the public and the information they are given as well as finding similarities between how each article is written.

Ethics are a huge part of journalism and it is a very slippery slope. Especially for journalists who are writing on such ethically charged court cases such as the homicides in Iowa can be difficult. One of the most challenging situations I ran into while researching was trying to figure out why more information wasn’t given out to the public. I found this difficult mostly when a case wasn’t closed or solved yet.

Many of the cases I covered weren’t closed yet or didn’t seem to be solved but no information on the suspects was given out. In my opinion, the public has the right to know who the police are looking for or even some details involving the person.

Looking back at the case regarding the shooting in Cedar Falls, the police did say there was no public threat but we don’t have any information on who the shooter could be, if they were in a car, or if there were multiple people involved. For me, living two blocks away from the area where the gentleman was shot, it’s concerning that it wouldn’t coincidentally happen again.

Overall, after taking such a plunge into many articles from smaller towns like Urbana to larger cities such as Davenport, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and even Council Bluffs I found that public safety is being met as much as it can. Ethics in covering court cases and homicides are very difficult as they walk a fine line of private information and that they cannot release certain details if they are too gruesome for public consumption.

As odd as the fascination of murderers and their documentaries may be, it doesn’t deny the fact that as soon as it happens closer to home, fear strikes and it all becomes so real forcing people to think about the law and ethics involving journalists.