
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 19, 1991                   TAG: 9104190351
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From The New York Times and The Associated Press
DATELINE: WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.                                LENGTH: Medium

REPORTING NAME OF RAPE ACCUSER HIGHLIGHTS DILEMMA

Citing the conflict between individual privacy and press freedom arising from an accusation of rape at the Kennedy estate, the Palm Beach County prosecutor Thursday asked for a court review of a Florida law that prohibits the identification of rape victims by news organizations.

The prosecutor, David Bludworth, whose title is state attorney, said a ruling from the Circuit Court here would help him determine whether to prosecute NBC News, The New York Times and others who have either published or broadcast the name of the woman who filed the rape complaint.

Several more news organizations on Thursday reported the woman's name, including the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., and the Reuter news agency.

Among the most vocal critics were those who said disclosure would discourage women from reporting rapes.

"If you want to reduce the number of those who come forth and report rapes to the authorities, just start publishing and broadcasting their names and addresses," said Anne Seymour, spokeswoman for the National Victim Center.

Editors also have anguished over the propriety of naming the suspect, William Kennedy Smith, the nephew of Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., without identifying his accuser. Police identified Smith as the suspect several days after the Easter weekend incident.

Bludworth said he expects three more weeks of investigation before deciding whether to charge Smith.

"All editors have the same dilemma," said Frank Daniels III, executive editor of The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., which withheld the woman's name. "By naming the defendant, you've now said someone is an alleged rapist without naming who's saying that."

Some of those who identified the woman said her privacy was no longer an issue because others had used it, even if publishing was contrary to their policies of not using the names of rape victims.

NBC said it was "confident that its editorial decision to air the name of the rape victim is consistent with the protections afforded by the Constitution."

The Roanoke Times & World-News' policy is to withhold rape victims' names.

Karen DeCrow, former president of the National Organization for Women, wrote in USA Today that identifying rape victims would help end sexist stereotyping.

But Marybeth Carter, president of the National Coalition Against Sexual Assault, disagreed with identifying rape victims: "I challenge the theory that printing the victims' names in the paper removes the stigma," she said.

by CNB