2008 Woodie Awards
Panel weighs in on "Missouri Miracle" kidnapping case
By: Beth Prusaczyk
Issue date: 3/22/07 Section: News
Members of the St. Louis media agreed that Washington University student and New York Post reporter Susannah Callahan did what other journalists only wished they would have done.
The ethical dilemma surrounding Callahan is that she did not identify herself as a journalist in order to snag a jailhouse interview with Michael Devlin, the man charged with kidnapping two young boys, Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck. The boys were found in Devlin's Kirkwood apartment in January 2007. The case received national attention and Callahan was the only reporter to interview Devlin.
About 100 members of the local media converged at Webster University for an hour-long discussion about the ethical media issues surrounding the kidnapping, dubbed the "Missouri Miracle."
The St. Louis Press Club, a professional, social and charitable organization of people who make, cover and influence the news, organized the March 15 panel discussion, which was held in the University Center Sunnen Lounge.
The five-member panel included Callahan's attorney, Gordon Ankney. Ankney said it's not unusual for defendants to want to tell their story and Callahan only gave Devlin the opportunity.
"Sometimes journalists don't identify themselves as such because they don't want the jailer deciding who is allowed in," Ankney said.
Senior journalism major Karen McGlenn attended the discussion. She said Ankney was a little evasive and too defensive when he spoke about Callahan.
"I have mixed feelings on what Callahan did," McGlenn said.
Panel member Charles Jaco, a reporter for Fox 2 News, said the only lie Callahan told was writing "friend" instead of "reporter" on the jailhouse registry.
"Did he say anything really meaningful? Not really. Did she get a story that everyone else wished they would have gotten? Darn straight," Jaco said.
Webster University media ethics and media law professor Larry Baden, also a panel member, said if Callahan had been one of his students he would have mixed feelings as to whether the actions were ethical or not.
The ethical dilemma surrounding Callahan is that she did not identify herself as a journalist in order to snag a jailhouse interview with Michael Devlin, the man charged with kidnapping two young boys, Ben Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck. The boys were found in Devlin's Kirkwood apartment in January 2007. The case received national attention and Callahan was the only reporter to interview Devlin.
About 100 members of the local media converged at Webster University for an hour-long discussion about the ethical media issues surrounding the kidnapping, dubbed the "Missouri Miracle."
The St. Louis Press Club, a professional, social and charitable organization of people who make, cover and influence the news, organized the March 15 panel discussion, which was held in the University Center Sunnen Lounge.
The five-member panel included Callahan's attorney, Gordon Ankney. Ankney said it's not unusual for defendants to want to tell their story and Callahan only gave Devlin the opportunity.
"Sometimes journalists don't identify themselves as such because they don't want the jailer deciding who is allowed in," Ankney said.
Senior journalism major Karen McGlenn attended the discussion. She said Ankney was a little evasive and too defensive when he spoke about Callahan.
"I have mixed feelings on what Callahan did," McGlenn said.
Panel member Charles Jaco, a reporter for Fox 2 News, said the only lie Callahan told was writing "friend" instead of "reporter" on the jailhouse registry.
"Did he say anything really meaningful? Not really. Did she get a story that everyone else wished they would have gotten? Darn straight," Jaco said.
Webster University media ethics and media law professor Larry Baden, also a panel member, said if Callahan had been one of his students he would have mixed feelings as to whether the actions were ethical or not.
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