SPCA story touches nerves, stirs readers’ emotions

Editor's Note: Because the Commentary section in today's paper is printed in advance, the "From the Newsroom" column on Page E4 of today's section does not include the news that the Richmond animal-protection office found that "no willful intent was found" in its investigation of the death of the family pet belong to Richmond SPCA chief Robin Starr. The Richmond Animal Care and Control Program released the news in a statement on Friday evening.

What makes an event newsworthy? Where should we draw the line on free speech?

Our readers often disagree with us, and with one another, on the answers to these important questions.

On Wednesday morning on TimesDispatch .com, we broke the story that a dog belonging to Robin Starr, CEO of the Richmond SPCA, died after being left unattended in her car for four hours on a day when temperatures topped 90 degrees.

Within 48 hours, the story had been read more than 58,000 times, and there were nearly 500 comments from readers.

The first post came from L. Johnson, who wrote, "This woman is evil. She should never be allowed to work around or own animals!"

Critics pointed out that Starr had been outspoken in cases of animal cruelty, and especially hard on Michael Vick when he was charged with organizing dogfights.

Supporters said her devotion to animals was beyond question, and they accused critics, and the newspaper, of making too much of a tragic accident.

"Once again, the media has overstepped its bounds by publicizing a story that should have remained a private family matter," said a poster using the screen name rlongo. "As a result, a tragic accident has been unfairly construed as an act of negligence, and more importantly the reputation of one of Richmond's finest citizens has been compromised. If this accident did not involve Robin Starr, it would have never been published. Period. Shame on

The Richmond Times-Dispatch and all other media outlets that have carried (and undoubtedly will continue to carry) this story."

Comments came fast and furiously throughout the day. Tempers flared, and many posts were deleted because they included personal attacks or profanity.

As a newspaper, we believe in freedom of speech. We do not alter or edit reader comments. We don't filter or censor posts because of the personal or political opinions expressed.

But we do ask readers to avoid offensive language and respect the opinions of others. We reserve the right to remove posts that violate the Terms and Conditions linked at the bottom of every article. Among other things, our policy forbids posts that are "defamatory, harmful, threatening, illegal, or knowingly false."

We provide a link below each comment for readers to report inappropriate posts, and those reports are reviewed by editors to see if they warrant removal.

Some people who saw their comments disappear accused us of censorship or favoritism. Others wanted us to close all critical comments. We chose to allow readers on both sides to express themselves, as long as the conversation remained civil.

Because the dog died a week before our story was published, one of the questions most frequently asked by readers was whether

The Times-Dispatch deliberately delayed reporting the incident.

The answer is simple: No, we didn't.

We got a tip on Tuesday afternoon that Starr's dog had died. We didn't know when, we didn't know where. We had no other details.

After a quick call to Richmond police and prosecutors, we knew there were no criminal charges filed. Reporter Joe Macenka began calling and e-mailing Starr and SPCA spokeswoman Tabitha Hanes.

By 4 p.m., we hadn't received any response. Reporter Jeremy Slayton went to the SPCA. Starr wasn't there.

An hour later, Hanes called back. She wouldn't discuss anything related to the dog but said she and Starr would meet with Slayton on Wednesday morning at 9.

As soon as Slayton left the meeting with Starr and her husband, Ed, he called the newsroom and began dictating a story. By 10:36 a.m., we had a report on TimesDispatch.com.

Another question posed by many readers was whether Starr should be charged with a crime. State law is clear -- it's a Class 1 misdemeanor (animal cruelty) to "inflict inhumane injury or pain on an animal," but only if the act is willful.

Starr said the dog that died -- Louie, a 16-year-old deaf and blind mutt -- was the favorite of her four dogs. Based on her tearful interview with Slayton, there's no indication she intended to harm her dog.

Richmond Animal Care and Control issued a statement Thursday that said "charges are not forthcoming," but the case is still under investigation.

Had this incident involved an Everyday Joe, we likely wouldn't have gotten a tip about it, and we probably wouldn't have written a story in the absence of a criminal charge.

But given Starr's role with the SPCA, her prominence in the community, and her outspokenness about cases of animal cruelty, it became front-page news.

That conclusion is supported by the fact that so many of you read the story, were emotionally affected by it, and felt compelled to share your reactions.

Contact Multimedia Editor John Witt at (804) 649-6824 or .

Contact News Editor Paige Mudd at (804) 649-6671 or .