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It was last month on May 17th, 2 a.m. when a 31-year-old female hailed a cab in front of Ecco in Hollywood to grab a ride home. Armen Ayvazian was her driver, according to the LAPD, and when she got home, he allegedly followed her inside where he sexually assaulted her. Detectives caught up with the North Hills man last week and arrested him without incident. But police believe there are more victims out there and if you recognize him (a photo of his cab is below), give the police a call.
The type of cab Ayvazian drove
Anyone with information is asked to contact Robbery-Homicide Division Detective Al Contreras or Lieutenant Felicia Hall at (213) 485-2921. After-hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247) or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters LAPD. Tipsters may also submit information on the LAPD website: www.lapdonline.org. All tips may remain anonymous.
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While I believe it's important to share important information with the public, I'm rather troubled by the presentation of this post from both a journalistic perspective and as a supporter of the American legal system's assurance of innocence until proving guilty.
The ability to provide information to society about possible risks effectively is diminished by posts like this. The headline of this post condemns Ayvazian before a trial ever occurs. Claiming publicly he is a "sex fiend" not only alarms the public without the full facts available, your inclusion of a picture of "his cab" endangers anyone who drives an Independent Cab. Co. cab and happens to resemble him. Should readers of your blog see one of those cabs they may act without the full facts of this case. More importantly, characterizing Mr. Ayvazian as a "sex fiend" before his trial and without further evidence also threatens the impartiality of any potential jury in his prosecution. If he is guilty, it opens up doubt about the ability to find and impanel a jury capable of rendering a stable, credible verdict. If he is not, you have tremendously hindered his ability to have a fair trial.
It is rash, hasty reporting like this that discredits all journalists in this time of rapid changes to the industry.Journalists and those who claim to be journalists are shifting to Web based platforms more readily. Yet when the public continues to distrust the credibility of "bloggers," posts like this do nothing to help the field.
I might add that this sort of reporting also endangers our legal system. It contributes to the public shock when individuals are acquitted of crimes. When suspects are treated in the media as guilty from the moment of their arrest, it not only affects the quality of the jury pool, it also increases the dissonance the public feels when a jury, examining the facts and arguments presented by both sides in a trial, does not side with the prosecution. The more the public feels our legal system "protects" criminals or otherwise carries unexpected consequences, the less able it is to operate effectively and fairly. This legal system, while imperfect, is the core of our democracy as we know it, and we should work to fix its flaws, ensure its fairness, and remain committed to the ideals of justice we purport to believe in.
Should we be reporting about arrests if we cover local news? Yes. Is sexual assault an allegation to be taken seriously? Yes. But it's one thing to be accused of, arrested for and charged with any crime. It's another thing to be convicted of one.
-Bill Lascher
www.lascheratlarge.com
Bill,
While I do admit the headline is Gawker style over-the-top tongue and cheek, the post's text does not indicate he is already guilty, with emphasis added:
"Armen Ayvazian was her driver, according to the LAPD, and when she got home, he allegedly followed her inside where he sexually assaulted her."
Mr Lascher
I hope you have made mention of your objections to coverage of this story on other media outlets who posted the same information yesterday.
Take for example KTLA's piece, in which the word "alleged" or "allegedly" actually never appears. http://www.ktla.com/news/local/ktla-taxi-assault,0,7979394.story (and also, via their partnership, as posted on the LA Times' LA Now: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/06/la-taxi-driver-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-passenger.html)
The abovementioned stories also detail the name and description of the cab, and other media outlets, such as KABC, name the cab company as well. Any potential customer's reaction to the cab company is quite obviously beyond anyone's control, and to put the responsibility of us, or the media, for the actions of anyone ("Should readers of your blog see one of those cabs they may act without the full facts of this case.") is inappropriate.
It's very important to note that this information was not crafted by us, but rather shared int he hopes of encouraging other potential victims to come forward--alleged victims who may find comfort that the suspect has been detained on similar charges. The information is all on the LAPD's blog, including the photo, as well. http://lapdblog.typepad.com/lapd_blog/2009/06/lapd-releases-sexual-assault-suspects-booking-photograph.html It seems reasonable to believe that for the LAPD to release such information is not unprecedented, and also takes the legal system into full consideration. Did you also take up your concerns with the LAPD as well?
The American legal system and American journalism are in the crapper anyways.
Fair enough. My apologies for missing those two. The point remains about the headline, and I'm glad to see you edited the title, though it may still appear in people's feeds. The criticism stands regarding the picture of "his cab." I don't see the purpose of posting it.
Thanks for clarifying, too, Bill. As I commented on your website, I did change the headline, per your concerns. Thank you for bringing that up.
In regards to the photo, the LAPD shared it with the booking photo to help with their investigation, but let me digress for a minute...
Once a new restaurants opened up and on its opening night when I was there, gang members (or people who enjoyed writing BVN's tag) were already there tagging it. They threatened an employees life and police were called.
I asked a few LA Times reporters what I should do. It was definitely a story but at the same time I didn't want to hurt a new business on its second opening day by telling the world about gangs committing crimes on the property itself. The answers I got back were "what happens is what happens, you can't help that. Just report."
So, back to the photo of the cab. Whether a photo of the cab or description of the cab with cab company name printed, the info still needs to get out there. If someone decides to take justice into their own hands, well, that sucks and is illegal, but if we went around worrying about that, no descriptions ever would be given out. In my time paying attention to local crime, I've never heard of someone overzealously committing a crime after hearing a news report. Not to say that hasn't happened, but I see no trend and it doesn't seem like anyone else is concerned, either.
A couple years ago, there was a fatal stabbing, reportedly between two groups of Armenian young men in a grocery store parking lot. The suspect vehicle was a black honda civic, said the LAPD. Should they and the press have been worried about people getting up and arms about any young Armenian-looking men in black honda civics around LA?