Media Coverage of the Medicine Hat Murders

The residents of Medicine Hat, Alberta were shocked to discover last week that a mother, father and their 8 year old son had been murdered in their quiet little community. They were even more stunned when it was announced that the family's 12 year old daughter, along with a 23 year old man, had been arrested in another city and charged with the crimes.

Because the police had originally been concerned about the girl's disappearance, they put out media bulletins with her name and picture. Thus, when she then became a possible suspect, reporters were able to unearth her internet connections to the man charged with her whom she had apparently met on a site about vampires - just the kind of thing the media relishes - bizarre, dark connections. (Note: young offenders are not publicly identified by name in Canada).

When the RCMP made the arrests, they released the follwoing statement: “We don’t know the relationship between the two, we believe they are acquaintances,” Yet, when I watched Calgary's Global television news on Wednesday nite, they characterized the 12 year old as the young man's "girlfriend" as if the two were some new version of Bonnie and Clyde involved in some twisted romantic crime spree. They were careful to say that they didn't know if there was a sexual relationship between the two alleged killers.

"Girlfriend"? A 12 year old who met a 23 year old man online suddenly becomes known as his "girlfriend"? Every single week we hear stories about the very real dangers of kids meeting up with online predators - and that's exactly what they are: predators. Yet, somehow, because this girl may have been involved in the murder of her family, she now becomes the other suspect's "girlfriend".

She's 12.

Do 12 year old commit murders? Certainly. Can a 12 year old be seen as having a 23 year old boyfriend? Only in the minds of those who want to completely demonize her, even before they even know the full truth about the relationship beteen the two. In any other circumstance, this young girl would have been identified as a victim of this male adult.

The media has a responsibility to the public to report facts - not slanted conjecture or mischaracterizations. In this case, they certainly failed.