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'TREVOR' ATTEMPTS TO POISON TEACHER.... When a 15-year-old student tries to poison his teacher by putting copper sulfate in his drink, should he be referred to by his first name in the news story? That was the question put to the Kansas City Star's Readers' Representative Derek Donovan after a story (below) by Diane Carroll. In a note to Donovan we asked him if calling the boy by his first name "made it sound like what he did was not very serious and more of a prank." The response by Donovan: "The Associated Press stylebook, which The Star generally follows, says this one's a bit of a 'tweener. It calls for first names on subsequent references for children 15 and under. But it also says, "use news judgment and refer to children under 15 by their last name if the story is a serious one involving, for example, a major crime." In this case, I certainly think the charges against Trevor Hackl involve a major crime. However, The Star usually tends to use first names for those under 18 (as in stories about Esmie Tseng recently, for example). You're right -- it's worth revisiting. I've talked about it with Greg Farmer, assistant managing editor for Page One, who also oversees the copy desk. He'll have discussions with his folks about the policy. Thanks again for writing.
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