A case out of Arizona is impacting some Idaho journalists’ ability to get mugshots from sheriffs’ offices. 

Earlier this month, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Houston v. Maricopa County that Maricopa County had violated Brian Houston’s constitutional rights by publishing his mugshot on a website before his trial. The county-run website kept mugshots online for three days, allowing other sites to scrape that information and post it on their own pages. Ultimately, Houston’s chargers were dismissed, but his mugshot remained online elsewhere. 

The narrow decision said putting the mugshots online amounts to pretrial punishment – a violation of Houston’s Fourteenth Amendment due process rights.

In response, county sheriffs across Idaho, and in other states, are examining their own policies. As of Friday morning, Ada County still publishes mugshots and basic arrest information online. However, Nate Sunderland of East Idaho News tells me his staff has run into issues with Bannock, Custer, and Madison Counties declining to release mugshots because of the ruling.

Ultimately, Bannock and Madison changed course, agreeing to give out the photos in response to public records requests. And that’s the right move. Idaho’s open government laws are clear that those mugshots are public record. There are separate, and important, conversations that our industry continues to have about the ethics of publishing mugshots in the first place, but those are decisions that editors and journalists need to make, not the government.

It’s not yet clear how Idaho’s 40 other counties are responding to the ruling. I’m gathering more information, and in the meantime, if your newsroom runs into issues, please let me know at melissadavlin@gmail.com.

https://uidaho.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8kyuEa137IDM9r8

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Hometown: 
Amesbury, MA

Current job: 
Educator and reporter.
School of Journalism and Mass Media, U of I, faculty; news and sports reporter for Idaho Public Radio and Inside the Vandals

Tell us a bit more about your career path: 

I filed my first story as a news reporter as a college student in 1980 and have been working as a reporter ever since, mostly in the best medium ever devised, radio; but with some dabbling along the way in newspapers, television, and online. I also had a stop as a press secretary and legislative aide in the MA State Senate in ’93- ’95. Graduated from Dean College in ’82 and the University of Maryland in ’84 and ’85.

What drew you to journalism? 

Looking back, it just seems like it was always there—a love of broadcasting, news and sports, and things media. I fondly recall: being unbelievably excited when my Dad carried our first color television into the house; the utter joy of listening to Ned Martin call Red Sox games on the radio; discovering Star Trek and science fiction in general; being amazed at the radio adaptation of Dracula by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre; watching Jack Hynes read the news and Bob Copeland do the weather on Boston television; working in college radio at WGAO and WMUC. A whole host of these and other things that go back as far as I can remember.

What are some memorable moments from your career?

Without question the highlight of my professional career is watching students I have interacted with move on to happy lives and success.
 
In journalism, too many interesting stories and interviews to count. Talking with Gene Roddenberry and Charlton Heston and David Halberstam was fun; so were lots of other interviews. Doing stories on coastal erosion on Cape Cod in the late 80s and a state budget crisis in Massachusetts about 1990 stuck with me. So did covering local reaction to 9/11, COVID. Lots. A simple motto: do the damn news and have a helluva ride.

Who is your journalism hero, and why? 

A tie— Ed Murrow/David Brinkley/Peter Jennings. Pros. Brinkley’s 1989 commentary on how the IRS will continue to collect taxes in the event of a nuclear attack is the top shelf in the history of television commentary, no discussion.

You didn’t ask, but: Favorite fictional portrayal of a reporter—Bogart as Ed Hutcheson, Deadline USA, 1952. “That’s the press, baby.”

What do you do when you aren’t working? 

When is that, that I’m not working?

Family. Good television. Interesting movies. Books. Red Sox. A whiskey and ginger ale. Hearing from former students. Walking while listening to good audio. 

IDAHO STATESMAN

Carolyn Komatsoulis joined the Idaho Statesman as a breaking news and Latino Affairs reporter in June. She previously worked at the Idaho Press. 

Rose Evans joins the Idaho Statesman in September as the Meridian/suburbs reporter. She’s a 2023 graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont. She replaced Rachel Spacek, who accepted a position at InvestigateWest.

Shaun Goodwin became the interim Boise State athletics reporter for the Idaho Statesman in August. He replaced Ron Counts, who moved to California. Shaun has been a service reporter at the Statesman for two and a half years.

IDAHO PRESS

New reporter Kelly Holm takes over the Caldwell beat; she is a Wisconsin native who attended Hamline University for undergrad and the University of Wisconsin for graduate school where she received a masters degree in journalism. She also held a reporter job at The Lakeland Times (Wisc.) from Sept. 2021-Aug. 2022 before going to grad school.

She replaces Erin Rusby Banks, who left for BoiseDev. Former city of Boise and Ada County reporter Carolyn Komatsoulis left for the Idaho Statesman.

Royce McCandless is a University of Idaho graduate who covers the city of Boise and Ada County for the Press. He is a graduate of Timberline High School and also served as an intern and freelance writer for the Idaho Business Review while in college.

Both new reporters share a wide range of interests outside of their immediate beats.

BOISE DEV

Erin Banks Rusby joined BoiseDev as a reporter; she previously worked as a reporter for the Idaho Press. Autum Robertson has left her role as a full-time reporter, but is now doing contract work.

IDAHO EDUCATION NEWS

Reporter Emma Epperly is leaving The Spokesman-Review after five years to launch a North Idaho bureau for Idaho Education News. Emma will live and work in the Inland Northwest, covering education policy implementation and how it relates to teaching, learning and student achievement. She’ll follow school board meetings and higher education developments in the Northern region of Idaho. She’ll also focus on Idaho’s charter school movement. Emma’s first day with Idaho Education News will be Sept. 20. 

EAST IDAHO NEWS

Veteran EastIdahoNews.com reporter Kalama Hines was recently promoted to sports director to head the new East Idaho Sports department. He has spent the last four years as a general assignment reporter in Pocatello. He previously covered sports in California. 

Allan Steele, the sports director at the Idaho Falls Post Register, was recently hired as a reporter by EastIdahoNews.com to help with the launch of East Idaho Sports. He led the Post Register sports program since 2019 and, more recently, ran the sports department at the Rexburg Standard Journal. He comes to EastIdahoNews.com with three decades of experience.

KTVB-TV

After more than 40 years, “Idaho’s Chief Meteorologist” Rick Lantz will be retiring on September 26th. Rick came to the Treasure Valley in 1969. He began his broadcasting career in 1975 working in both radio and television in Weiser, Caldwell, Nampa and Boise. He has been bringing you the weather forecast for over 40 years on Idaho’s NewsChannel 7.

Rachel Garceau has been promoted to chief meteorologist. Hector Mendoza has been promoted to weather anchor for Wake Up Idaho.

Andrew Baertlein left KTVB to move closer to home. He is now reporting for KHQ-TV Spokane. Aspen Shumpert joined KTVB and The 208 team as an multi-skilled journalist after 2 years at The News Tribune.

Daisy Bautista, former VOCES intern and current senior at Boise State University, joined KTVB part-time as a producer for KTVB en Espanol. Victoria Rodriguez, current senior at Boise State University, completed her VOCES internship this summer working with the KTVB en Espanol team.

Abby Wilt graduated from Pepperdine University and started her career with KTVB as a multi-skilled journalist. Hunter Funk came home to Idaho from WFMY in Greensboro, N.C. as an anchor for the News at 6 and reporter for The 208. 

Jude Binkley was promoted from a multi-skilled journalist to weekend anchor/multi-skilled journalist. Audrielle Tackett graduated from the University of Southern California and began her career at KTVB as an multi-skilled journalist.

Austin Boyd was promoted from newscast editor to news photographer. Caitlynn Spear graduated from College of Western Idaho and began her career as the newscast editor for Wake Up Idaho. Carsen Cloud graduated from Boise State University to become a producer-in-residence. Sonora Birnie was promoted from Wake Up Idaho producer to KTVB’s assignment editor. 

Logan Schenk was promoted from news photographer to Wake Up Idaho producer. Emma Adams was promoted from the News at 4 producer to the Idaho Today producer. Vera Valdez has been promoted from production assistant to news producer.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Mike Sharp has left his position as director of media relations for Boise State University for a new job as communications director for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services in Baltimore. Mike, a former longtime Idaho journalist and media professional, previously worked as a reporter, anchor and host for radio, print and TV outlets in the Treasure Valley, and for four years as the public relations coordinator for the Idaho Foodbank. He joined BSU in 2021.