We've wondered since early Monday morning who left the pit bull in Utica out in sub zero weather long enough to have his flesh freeze to the icy snow.   We wondered until this afternoon when I tracked down the court records that revealed the name of the owner of a dog named Macho. Macho's owner is Michael Jenkins of Utica.  Jenkins was ticketed for allowing his 3 year old tan and white pit bull to run without a leash. 

That first ticket was for the offense at 8:30 pm on Sunday night. The next ticket came for the next morning when Utica Police encountered the dog tied to the picnic bench.  Jenkins was ticketed for having an unlicensed, unleashed dog.  All the offenses took place within a few blocks of his last known address. 

We tried to reach Jenkins today through phone or online also with a reporter in person, all to no avail.  Releasing the name would have to be our decision.  The Utica Police were sticking with their decision to hold off pending a decision by city attorneys.  The police were concerned about the threatening comments posted on Facebook and websites about the punishments some members of the public wanted meted out toward the dog's owner.

Our editorial staff and station management vigorously debated the issues involved.  Our news director and general manager asked questions of me as the reporter. We talked about whether it was right to release his name considering the concerns the police expressed for the safety of Jenkins.  We talked with Utica police about their concerns.  We discussed the nature of the story and the traffic ticket level of offense Jenkins actually faces.

Weighing it all we decided to move forward with disclosing his identity. We withheld his address.  In the interest of the public's right to know the facts of the story that has generated great discussion and passion we sought the information and revealed it.  We first posted it on our website. We tweeted it and sent it out into news feeds on Facebook. At 5:00 pm it was the lead on our newscasts including an explanation of how we arrived at the decision to publish and broadcast.

As a journalist it is in my being to want to know the full story and tell it.  My first reaction when someone says I cannot have the information is to find a way to get it.  As a premise it is not the job of government to withhold information.  When they say there are going to it is the job of journalists to dig until they find it. Then it's also up to journalists to responsibly decide what to do that with information.   We did that today.

Any questions or comment please forward them to mattsmemo@CNYcentral.com.   I may even use some of your thoughts on NBC 3 News at 5:00,  the 10:00 News on CW6 or on CNYcentral.com.                                 

The opinions expressed in this blog are the sole responsibility of the author and are not reflective of the views or opinions of Barrington Broadcasting, WSTM-NBC3, its management or employees.