Shoddy journalism in AP ‘hit piece’ on Babbitt

I’ve been teaching newspaper literacy to my grade 10 students. We’ve covered headlines, bylines, hard news vs. features, editorials and op-eds. I’ve emphasized that ethical journalists ask sources the “five W’s” and never insert their own opinions. Much to my dismay, the Courant thumbed its nose at that ethical standard when it ran “A martyr? Babbitt’s past tells a complex story” [Page 2, Jan. 5]. The story was about Ashli Babbitt, an unarmed woman shot by police during the riotous invasion of our Capitol last January. This story interested me until I realized it was a one-source hit piece on a deceased person. I learned nothing about her family, her childhood, her military service, her career, her political views, or even the circumstances of her death. Instead, I learned only about a spurned-lover fight — which involved cars — between Babbitt and the lone source cited in the article. The reporter allowed the source, Celeste Norris, to trash on Babbitt for three-quarters of the story, only to note near the end: “A judge acquitted Babbitt of all the criminal charges.”

Imagine if a newspaper ran a similar hit piece on an unarmed police shooting victim such as George Floyd, Daunte Wright, Breonna Taylor or Philando Castile? Readers would be rightly horrified, as they should be with this unethical and poorly sourced AP story on Babbitt.

For four years I have arranged for free e-editions of the Courant for my students through the Newspapers in Education program. I am beyond disappointed that the Courant no longer offers this. I had to go to the Boston Herald to arrange a daily e-edition for my students. The Herald did not run the Babbitt hit piece, so I am hoping that its judgment is better than the Courant’s.