To the Editor:
The decision of The Dartmouth to publish the photo and name of James McMahon '01 was both unjustified and harmful ["Freshman Faces Child Pornography Charge," April 6]. Presuming that the purpose of The Dartmouth is to serve and inform the students of Dartmouth College, the publishing of this article and photo was out of line. Even if the allegations against McMahon are true, his crime is not one that endangers Dartmouth students.
The purpose of publicizing a crime is to protect other people in the society in which it occurs. McMahon's alleged crime of downloading child pornography off of the Internet poses no threat to Dartmouth College students. Additionally, although child pornography is in no way healthy or normal, it must be noted that McMahon was simply downloading photos. He was not taking pictures of young children or any way furthering the distribution of these photos. This certainly does not make his crime excusable, but it puts his actions into a realistic perspective in which a front-page photo and headline is not necessary.
Finally, not to imply any stereotypes upon McMahon, but oftentimes people who engage in behavior such as this are mentally disturbed or have encountered abuse in their past. Being classified by an entire campus as "that weirdo who was looking at naked kids" certainly does not lead to reformed behavior in the future.
A headline that states "Freshman faces child pornography charge" attracts a great deal of attention, and it is disappointing that this sensationalism trumped both integrity and professionalism in the decision to print the article. This is, after all, The Dartmouth, and not The National Enquirer.
