Don't shield me from real news

I appreciate you and the editors trying to do what you thought best when deciding whether or not to post the 911 audio of the Hoffman Estates murders on your Web site.

Unfortunately, I take issue with one statement in your column on the decision.

In your last paragraph, you said, "Then, they each tried dispassionately to determine what was in the best interest of their audience, the community."

That is where the Daily Herald, like so many other media, went wrong. It should not be up to the news media to "determine what is in my best interest." It should be the sole duty of the news media to truthfully report the news.

I understand that there might have been privacy concerns for the victims and their families. While I am very glad the Daily Herald is sensitive to that issue, the fact is that it was recorded on a publicly-owned 911 line, it is subject to the Freedom of Information Act, and it is news.

Don't shield me. Don't choose what I should or shouldn't see, hear, or read.

When you have news, report it and let me draw my own conclusions. Preface sensitive material with a warning if necessary, but give me access to it. If you do any less, you are failing in your constitutionally-protected duty.

Tyler Benjamin

Wheaton