Editorial

The Aspen Daily News in Aspen, Colorado runs a statement every day on their front page Flag that states: “If you don’t want it printed, don’t let it happen.”

It’s a bit brash for our taste, but the words apply to this newspaper when it comes to public record reporting that appears on our pages.

Recently we’ve had three persons request that we remove police and court reports that pertain to cases they were involved in. They cite invasion of privacy concerns and correctly state that the information will jeopardize future hiring opportunities as well as admission to some colleges.

Many employment and college level admission forms specifically ask applicants to disclose arrest records.

We print the public records provided to us by the police and courts because it’s the duty of a newspaper to cover the actions of both the police department and the courts. Local, state and federal governments have established both law enforcement operations and the judiciary and the public needs to be aware of their work.

If newspapers didn’t cover the actions of both the enforcement and judicial arms of the government, their records would still be open to public review. Whether in print, posted on the world-wide web or on private blogs, the public records are continuously made available to anyone searching for them, in a multitude of formats.

The bottom line is that history cannot be rewritten when it comes to public records. If you are arrested for a crime, convicted in a court hearing or owe back taxes to the government, there will be a record of it that is available to anyone searching for it.

In rare cases, information can be expunged from public records, but it is extremely unlikely.

Thus, the warning from the Aspen Daily News is appropriate. Stay out of trouble, enter the courthouse only when called for jury duty, pay your taxes and there will be no public record information to hamper future college or employment opportunities.