AP publishes name of 10 year old arson suspect against judge's orders

UPDATE: Since this was posted I've learned that the judge has lifted the gag order on reporting the juvenile's name.

A judge in Darke County today ordered media organizations not to release the name of a ten year old accused of starting a fire in Greenville that killed five, including the boy's mother. The boy has admitted to starting the fire, but with no intention of harming anyone. The case has dominated the Dayton media in recent days and has as I wrote yesterday shed some light on the state of poverty that exists in many small towns like Greenville.

The AP ignored the judge's order, and reported the boys' name anyway. And they've challenged the judge's ruling. The DDN reports:

In a separate motion, the Associated Press on Monday challenged McClurg's ruling last week that prohibited news organizations from using the boy's name or image in their news accounts. The AP motion claims that the prohibition represents prior restraint of the press.

Why file a motion when you plan to just ignore the judge's ruling anyway?

(Meanwhile the AP seems to be following the rest of the media in not publishing the names of Blackwater employees accused of murder in Baghdad. Here's another report that fails to report any names. Ten year old suspects: fair game. Blackwater employees: off limits.)

The case of the fire in Greenville gets worse and worse. The DDN's reporting indicates that the judge released the boy to the custody of his grandmother, an act of humane common sense in the midst of this tragedy. The DDN also indicates that the boy may have had his constitutional rights violated. He appears to have been questioned at length without the advice of a lawyer, or even a judge.

The boy's life is tragic enough at this point. Maybe AP could respect the boys' future and protect what's left to salvage of his childhood by not reporting his name. At the very least they could show him the same respect they've shown the average Blackwater mercenary.