# Did the Freedom of Information Act go too far: Laci's Autopsy. Viewer Discretion. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 30, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510 "2003-05-30T13:26:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Antiquarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Antiquarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antiquarian)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/1 "2003-05-30T13:26:38Z")
Autopsy results were leaked to the press. 7 a.m this morning having breakfast with my fiance I watched Good Morning America give lurid detail into Laci Peterson’s autopsy and that of her unborn child Cooper. No arms, legs, intestines or head, Laci’s Body washed up. Her child, fetal nine month old Cooper not far from Laci’s emaciated remains, with duct tape around his neck. The remains of a concrete bag not far from the bodies. Why does America and the World need to know this on National T.V? Did the Freedom of Information Act have the upper hand, or was the the work of a toady-reporter? On a personal note, I would feel absolutely terrible if she were my daughter. Having to hear the more than gruesome details of her corpse described on National T.V. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/2 "2003-05-30T13:35:51Z")
Americans have to know because they like grisly details. Take o g r i s h and r o t t e n . c o m (sorry for the spaces, but I don’t want to be responsible for accidentally linking directly to them). There’s a market in that sorta stuff. I think it’s disgusting, myself. Let them have some dignity after death, because they sure didn’t have any in death. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/3 "2003-05-30T13:58:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Why does America and the World need to know this on National T.V? They didn’t plain and simple. Ratings, the allmighty dollar bill! all played a piece. I saw the boradcast as well, you could tell Charlie Gibson did not want to be talking about it, he has a daughter roughly the same age as Laci was. Pitiful, completely disgusting if you ask me. Some time sI wish I could shake a huge, giant sized index finger at the medi **shakes imaginary giant sized index finger\*\*\*\*Shame on you! You should be ashamed of yourself for airing details about this terrible act. Show some dignity for Chrissake!!** ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/4 "2003-05-30T14:09:30Z")
If they were leaked, what does the Freedom of Information act have to do with anything? Do you think the unpleasant things in life should be hidden from us? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/5 "2003-05-30T14:10:11Z")
“America and _the World_”? To be honest I only know about the Laci Peterson story from this message board - it hasn’t reached any of the media I’ve seen over here. But I agree - that sort of detail is fine in an in-depth court report column, but on national breakfast news? Horrible. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/6 "2003-05-30T21:46:30Z")
btw, it’s **Connor** , not Cooper. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/7 "2003-05-30T21:48:49Z")
er… **Conner**. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/8 "2003-05-30T21:52:19Z")
What I heard was that the bit about the tape around Conner’s neck was leaked somehow, and so the DA’s office decided to release the formerly sealed report in order to put the leaked part in context. ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/9 "2003-05-30T22:20:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*Do you think the unpleasant things in life should be hidden from us? \*\* Is there any middle ground between ‘hidden’ and ‘broadcast on national television’? ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/10 "2003-05-31T01:18:26Z")
Perhaps off topic, but back in the early part of the last century it was common for fairly bloody, horrible, crime scene pictures to be on the front page of newspapers. Of course we all know that public executions used to be quite the attraction. All of which is just to say that this is nothing new, and has nothing to do with FOIA. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/11 "2003-05-31T02:45:48Z")
I suspect the defense was responsible for the leak, so as to plant a seed of doubt in the prospective jury pool that is California. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/12 "2003-05-31T03:04:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NurseCarmen \* > \*\*I suspect the defense was responsible for the leak, so as to plant a seed of doubt in the prospective jury pool that is California. \*\* > [@](#): > > NBC News’ legal affairs correspondent Dan Abrams first reported the findings of the autopsy report by the Contra Costa County coroner’s office on Thursday after obtaining a portion of the document from sources close to the case. > > … > > Abrams did not indicate how he obtained the report, but noted that the presence of the loop around the fetus’s neck could aid the defense. Peterson’s attorneys have said they are pursuing the theory that Laci Peterson and her unborn son died as a result of a satanic ritual, possibly at the hands of what they have described as a known Modesto cult. > > After Abrams’ report, Stanislaus County prosecutors filed a motion with the judge overseeing Scott Peterson’s murder trial saying they were dropping their opposition to releasing the autopsy results, which are under court seal. Source: [http://www.msnbc.com/news/900348.asp?0si=-](http://www.msnbc.com/news/900348.asp?0si=-) Whether the defense leaked the report or not, they had to be aided by someone in the chain of the investigation who had access to the report. At this stage, it could go either way. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/13 "2003-05-31T03:05:36Z")
This is not a new phenomenon. The local paper (Courier-Journal) won a Pulitizer 15 years or so ago for a photo that appeared on the front page of the paper after a “disgruntled” employee (who was off his Prozac and whose estate later sued over the drug’s use) shot up the paper’s printing plant and killed a bunch of people. The photo showed a dead man sprawled on his back over a piece of machinery. He was identifiable in the picture. Some friends of mine who were photojournalism students at the time had huge erections over the pic. My mother was absolutely appalled at the use of such a graphic photo, mostly out of concern for the family, as was mentioned in the OP. Basically, there’s nothing too outrageous or graphic if it’s “news”. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/14 "2003-05-31T03:07:43Z")
The Freedom of Information Act only applies to the Federal Government, not State governments (which have jurisdiction over most murder cases). However, many states have enacted freedom of information laws on their own. ---
**Author:** ![kunoichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kunoichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kunoichi)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-freedom-of-information-act-go-too-far-lacis-autopsy-viewer-discretion/178510/15 "2003-05-31T03:27:06Z")
Well not to be a wiseguy, but if you don’t want to see horrible things, I’d suggest turning off the TV, selling it, cancelling your newspaper subscription, getting rid of your Bible, and going to live under a rock. Although I hear centipedes and worms and other nasty things live under there ☹