NEWS JOURNAL VP, PATRICK ETHRIDGE MADE SHOPLIFTING A FAMILY AFFAIR

INSTEAD OF SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR HIS KIDS AND THE COMMUNITY, HE’S SKIP SCANNING MEAT AT WALMART

BY THE LEGAL EAGLE

Patrick Ethridge, the top editor at the Albuquerque Journal, resigned on Thursday afternoon after a judge released him from custody. His resignation followed a shoplifting incident at a Walmart, which quickly made headlines.

The police were called to the Walmart store in Rio Rancho, New Mexico because the boys were drinking energy drinks without paying for hem then tossing the empty cans on other shelves. The police officers first reviewed the videos before approaching the boys and their father who was also stealing (meat). What is impressive and jolting is that when approached, the boys are highly vocal and argumentative with the law enforcement officers.

Police show former Albuquerque Journal editor Patrick Ethridge a receipt for the groceries he didn’t scan. After tax, the total was $104.20. Courtesy of Rio Rancho Police Department.

When someone in a leadership role like Ethridge commits a crime, it damages the trust people have in them. This is especially true for someone working in media, where trust is essential. His actions became even more concerning because he was with his two young sons, who also stole energy drinks, drank them, then hid the empty cans back on other shelves.

As for those objecting to the family’s images being published; understand that there is no right to privacy where cameras are concerned when one is in pubic. Out of respect for the two boys’ future, is why we blurred their faces. The woman does not get the same pass because she’s an adult.

Mrs. Ethridge’s hands are clearly caught on the video as she grabs the stolen meat her husband has skip scanned.

You can clearly see her hands grab the meat as Ethridge “skip scans” it so she’s not an innocent party but a participant in the theft.

Kids learn by example, and seeing their father act dishonestly can affect how they distinguish right from wrong. It’s worrying because they might think stealing is ok. They might think “It must be alright, dad does it.” Leaders need to set a better example, not just for their audience, but for their families too.

Once caught, instead of being apologetic for their thievery, they doubled down stating that they were innocent and hadn’t stolen anything.

Ethridge’s behavior not only hurts his reputation and the reputation of all journalists but also raises doubts about his ability to lead. As editor of a major newspaper, he was expected to set a high standard. The Albuquerque Journal is the largest paper in that region.

His actions now make people question whether he can make good decisions in his professional life.

This incident could also hurt the Albuquerque Journal, which now faces the challenge of rebuilding trust with its readers and most especially its advertisers. People may also start questioning his past work at other newspapers, like the Beatrice Daily Sun, the Kokomo Tribune, the Times-Tribune, and the Hibbing Daily Tribune.

Anyone who might have had issues with him over content, context or pricing in the past might feel more confident taking legal action now that his moral integrity has been publicly exposed.

After police brought Ethridge and his sons into Walmart’s surveillance office, they alleged he was seen “skip-scanning” on camera. Courtesy of Rio Rancho Police Department.

Ethridge’s situation shows how important it is for media leaders to act with integrity, as their actions can have a lasting effect on the people and organizations they lead. This doesn’t only apply to large legacy media like MSNBC, NBC, FOX, ABC,CBS and CNN but to small news outlets as well.