Family under spotlight duress

It's not surprising Colleen Hauser was shocked people would think she was in "hiding" when she left her Sleepy Eye farm with her cancer-stricken 13-year-old son, in part at least, to avoid court-ordered chemotherapy treatment.

That flight made this into a national news story, with all the bells and whistles: satellite trucks, rude reporters (from other newspapers, mostly national media of course) and intrusive photographers with telephoto lenses.

Unfortunately, there are few laws that prevent the media from following a story like this or any other story for that matter. I've found that the subjects of national news stories rarely understand the scope of just how national news comes to be national.

If you're a fly on the wall that the media decide deserves attention, they've got the equivalent of the Hubble space telescope ready to examine your life.

To that extent, I received the Tuesday morning voice message that is the signature of an unhappy reader. An early morning voicemail message usually indicates an irate reader. Most people get their newspaper somewhere shortly after 6 a.m., earlier for some, later for others.

Hence, if the message is already waiting when I get in about 8 a.m., you know someone was really excited about something in that day's newspaper, and got on the phone, likely as they were turning the page.

I like the 10 a.m. calls better. People have had a couple hours to think about their anger, talk it over with the coffee klatsch and settle down a bit.

Anyway, the early morning message took us to task, scolded even, that they did not like the use of "Chemo fugitive" in the headline. This family has been through a lot over the last week, and we should be able to "take it easy" on them with a more generic lead like "Hauser family."

I can respect that opinion. Catchy headlines do not always win over sensitivity to those who are under the microscope, especially those in trying circumstances.

A good headline should be accurate, catchy and sometimes sensitive. But sometimes you also have to choose between catchy and sensitive, and of course, the real challenge: what fits in the space. I don't think "Chemo fugitive" was particularly insensitive or inaccurate.

The judge made an order; it involved required treatment of chemotherapy. The mother and son fled BECAUSE of that order. They're technically and accurately fugitives....which Webster's defines as someone who has "fled, either danger or justice"

In this case, they fled what they thought was dangerous (chemo) and justice (judge's order)

But these things are always worth considering, discussing. That's what we do, day in and day out. People often give us the benefit of the doubt, if we've discussed, and talked it through.