The child abuse case about a 5-year-old boy who was found to have brought drugs in school has sparked an outrage. The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has issued an official statement condemning a New Jersey judge for censoring the story in the media.
SPJ stated in a press release that Superior Court Judge Craig Corson issued a block on the story, citing "prior restraint" last October. The action thus prevented Trentonian reporter Isaac Avilucea, who was first to report on the story, from further revealing details to the child abuse case.
According to CBS News, Avilucea had access to court documents relating to the case of the 5-year-old boy. The journalist insisted that one of the parents gave it to him, yet the state believes the documents were stolen.
The state also argues that details on the child abuse case involving the 5-year-old contain sensitive matters. It claims that reporting on the story could potentially affect ongoing investigations and court proceedings.
.@andrewmseaman on @Trentonian's @IsaacAvilucea, prior restraint: NJ Press Should Rally vs. Unconstitutional Order | https://t.co/qGWdb5OL5F
— Society of Pro Journ (@spj_tweets) December 15, 2016
The SPJ is siding with Avilucea, however, by saying that the story is of public concern and that blocking reporters might establish a precedent that could curtail the freedom of the press. "I don't know how we're supposed to operate in a democracy if media organizations are having to capitulate to the court or the Attorney General's Office," Avilucea said, via North Jersey.
Officials from the International Academy Charter School filed a report involving the 5-year-old following an incident where school authorities found drugs in his lunch box. The boy was accosted twice, leading the Division of Child Protection and Permanency to take him away from his parents, Tashawn Ford and Maurice Leonard.
The 5-year-old is currently in foster care. It is alleged that one of the parents planted the drugs among the boy's things to gain favor in a custody battle, Avilucea wrote in his first and only story on the Trentonian.
