Crime and courts are a large part of what TXK Today covers. We publish thousands of stories about arrests, charges and cases in Bowie, Miller and the surrounding counties, and those stories stay online and in search results for years. This policy explains what we publish, what we leave out and how we handle a story after the case moves on.
What we publish
We report felony arrests and charges based on public records and official sources: law enforcement statements, arrest reports, probable cause affidavits, indictments and court filings. We name adults who are charged with felonies, because arrests and charges are public acts of government. We report what the record says, attribute it and make clear that a charge is an accusation, not a conviction.
What we do not publish
- We do not name juveniles accused of crimes, except in rare cases where they are charged as adults.
- We do not name victims of sexual offenses.
- We do not name people in calls involving a medical or mental health crisis.
- We do not publish home addresses of victims or witnesses.
Booking photos
We publish booking photos for violent felonies, for cases where police are asking the public for help finding someone, and for public officials charged with crimes. We generally do not publish them for misdemeanors or for low-level drug and property cases. When a case is dismissed or expunged, we will remove the booking photo on request.
Following the case
An arrest is the start of a story, not the end. When charges are dropped, a grand jury declines to indict, a case is dismissed or a defendant is acquitted, we publish the outcome. We also add a dated editor’s note at the top of the original arrest story that links to the outcome, so a reader who finds the old story learns how it ended. People named in our stories can help by sending us the court record. We do this at no charge.
Updates and unpublishing
We do not delete stories because the person named in them would prefer they disappear, and we never accept payment to remove or change a story. Accurate reporting about convictions and about public officials stays published.
We will update a story, add the outcome and, on request, ask search engines not to index a story when the charges were dropped, dismissed or expunged. We will also consider removing or de-identifying a story when there is a documented safety risk, when a juvenile was named in error or when a crime victim asks not to be identified. Field Walsh, the editor, reviews every request.
Scanner recaps
Our hourly scanner recaps for members summarize public radio traffic from area first responders. They are not verified reporting. Recaps do not name people and describe locations no more precisely than the block. They are kept out of search results.
How to ask
Email [email protected] with the link to the story and any court documents, or call 903-280-7977. See also our corrections policy and editorial standards.
