Why hasn’t this paper joined the growing majority of news outlets that pledge to absolutely protect the identities of victims of traumatic crimes, especially sexual assault? I read the article about the alleged rape in Hillsborough County (“Mathewson charged with sexual assault,” June 30) with shock and disgust. In tightly knit communities where everyone is only a degree or two of separation from each other, there is absolutely no reason to risk including details like first and last initials — or other “clues” — that may lead to survivors being outed and further traumatized.
We all know that when survivors of sexual assault are courageous enough to come forward, they are often met with public scorn, disbelief, shame, blame or worse. Please do not contribute to this possibility, Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. Please do everything in your power to be a media source that covers these stories with the utmost confidentiality and dignity.
Carlin Whitehouse
Yarmouth, Maine