Editor Apologizes for Publishing List of Hottest Female Sex Offenders
98.3 The Snake
98.3 The Snake Published: June 2, 2011
From the "That's So Wrong" file comes this tidbit from Texas.
The editor of the Houston Press has been forced to apologize after he printed an article called The 10 Hottest Women on the Texas Sex Offenders List.
Richard Connelly's bizarre and seemingly insensitive understanding of newsworthiness caused an uproar with the controversial piece, with a slew of people complaining that the article made light of serious crimes.
Each mug shot featured in the list also included details of the woman's transgressions, as well as the ages of their victims.
Connelly said the light bulb for the idea popped over his head after lawyers told him child abusers can't be placed into a specific category and that it inspired him to create a piece about "sex offenders who don't look like sex offenders," although the author of the piece used the word "hottest" to bring in more views.
Connelly was remorseful in explaining his actions. He said, "Glamorizing or trivializing child rape? It did not cross my mind that I was doing that. It should have, it now seems clear. That was never the intent. I hope that would be obvious, but it seems not."
He added, "I can only say the intention was to shock (in what I hoped would be a positive way) and not to offend. To a lot of people, I failed miserably. I can understand that, and I apologize to them."
[SWNS.com]
Filed Under: apology, editor, sex offenders