ICHITA, Kan. -- From the day the news
broke of BTK's existence more than 30 years ago,
the media have played a key role in the investigation.
Journalists passed on communications from the serial killer
to authorities, often honoring police requests to suppress
information. They served as a mouthpiece for BTK.
Now that a suspect has been charged, some of those same journalists
are examining the choices they made.
"I have regrets for holding things back," said Hurst Laviana, a
staff writer at The Wichita Eagle newspaper. His story about
the anniversary of the killings has been cited as the reason
the killer resurfaced after a quarter-century of silence.
BTK stands for bind, torture, kill.
"I wonder now whether we did the right thing, of editing the
evidence," Laviana said. "Would the police have been able
to find a suspect sooner? Did we do the public a disservice?"
This week, the Eagle and KAKE-TV, a local ABC affiliate, disclosed
communications they had kept hidden. The evidence the killer
sent to news outlets included a doll with a bag over its head and
its hands tied behind its back, postcards that seemed to refer
to packages from the killer, and a puzzle filled with clues
to his identity.
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