Mug Shot Mania – Tampa Criminal Attorneys Disagree with Online Newspaper Postings
Tampa criminal defense attorneys are not happy with the way some online newspapers are choosing to feature mug shots as a way of attracting readers to their websites. Back in July of 2009, one Florida woman was pulled over by a dutiful police officer for a minor traffic violation. To her surprise, her license had expired and she was arrested for a misdemeanor, taken to the police station, fingerprinted, a mug shot was made and she was released. She immediately headed to the Department of Motor Vehicles and renewed her license.
She thought she had seen the end of this mess and was putting it behind her but this is the Internet age and she lives in a city where liberal public laws make it easy to obtain post mug shots and arrest data online. This woman’s mug shot and arrest information was featured on the front page of a Florida’s Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper – the online version alongside alleged car thieves, drug dealers and murderers. All she could think about was ‘what if my boss sees this?’ but the chances are of him seeing it is pretty great.
‘Mug Shot’ Galleries, are humiliating says a Tampa DUI lawyer whose firm has represented their fair share of people featured on the gallery. Every size city and town online newspaper typically has a ‘Mug Shot Gallery’ in which they feature the days or weeks mug shots and arrest data because it’s a matter of public record and because people want to see them. Revenue for these mug shot pages is up in many of the online newspapers while some of the larger online newspapers will feature some of their own ads. These are money making pages for the online newspapers and they wouldn’t dream of getting rid of them.
Unlike print newspapers, which are slowly dying off, online newspaper can feature colorful, sometimes unflattering mug shots. Tampa criminal attorneys can not do a thing about a person’s mug shot appearing on an online website. There are laws that say its okay to post or publish information regarding a person who has been arrested, no matter how much they protest.
Media watchdogs are outraged that online newspapers have resorted to a type of ‘voyeurism’ and feeding a national obsession of social prudence that adds no journalistic value to a newspaper.
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