What Can Happen When Your Private Messages Go Public

ASK THE EXPERTS by M.L. ELRICK, Investigative Reporter, Detroit Free Press

Q.  As a parent, I caution my teens frequently about the content of what they email and text.  I want them to be aware of what might happen if they are careless, any suggestions?

A. Everyone has an embarrassing old photo out there. It may be snapshot from the 80s, in which you're proudly displaying your new freshly-coifed mullet or new acid-washed jeans. While you wince when you see it now, at the time it sure seemed like the thing to do. And you never thought you'd regret it.

These days, messages dashed off without a thought in an e-mail, on a smart phone or on twitter or Facebook can come back to haunt us a lot faster than that old high school photo. So how do you protect yourself?

The key is understanding that the message you've just tapped out could turn into a headline someday -- no matter how private it was meant to be.

Bitter former friends and lovers, lawyers seeking evidence for legal cases, even fumble fingers sending a note to the wrong address can all put your private business on front street.

No one knows this better than M.L. Elrick, who won the Pulitzer Prize with his partner Jim Schaefer for their reports in the Detroit Free Press on Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's text messages.

Elrick and Schaefer used Kilpatrick's text messages to show that the mayor lied on the witness stand when he denied having an affair and denied trying to fire a deputy police chief investigating his administration. One look at Kilpatrick's text messages leaves no doubt that he never expected anyone but the intended recipient to see them. Instead, they made front page news, cost Kilpatrick his job and, ultimately, his freedom. Many even ended up in a book, "The Kwame Sutra: Musings on Lust, Life and Leadership from Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick," which is available for $7.99 at www.kwamesutra.com and at local independent and major booksellers.

Elrick regularly speaks to students and community groups about the importance of watchdog reporting and the role of the media in society. Discussing the Kilpatrick case, he has said that he and Schaefer didn't write the words that got Kilpatrick thrown out of office -- Kilpatrick did.

It's a cautionary tale not just for public officials, but for everyone who communicates electronically in this digital age.

Michael L. Elrick (born 1968) is a journalist based in Detroit, Michigan, for The Detroit Free Press, and WDIV-TV. He is married and has two children.
Elrick graduated from Michigan State University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. He wrote for the Concord (N.H.) Monitor, and Daily Southtown in Chicago. His work has appeared in New York Times, Newsday, the Investigative Reporters and Editors Journal, Salon.com, Rollingstone.com, the National Law Journal, Chicago Magazine and HOUR Detroit magazine. He taught journalism at Wayne State University, Michigan State University and University of Michigan-Dearborn.
He covered for Detroit Free Press Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his various scandals that ultimately led to Kilpatrick's resignation and criminal conviction.[4] To break the case open, the reporters filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit that was heard by the Michigan Supreme Court.
Contact M.L. ELRICK: 313-222-6582 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Save the Date for this valuable presentation offered by The Family Center
'Are Your Kids at Risk? Trends & Signs of Addictive Behaviors'
Thursday, May 19 at 7 p.m.
Grosse Pointe Congregational Church, Fellowship Hall
(240 Chalfonte Avenue, Grosse Pointe Farms)
No Fee
RSVP by May 10, 313.432.3832 or register online at www.familycenterweb.org

Celebrating a Decade of Commitment to Community Families 2000-2010

The Family Center serves as the community's hub for information, resources and referral for both families and professionals. The Family Center is a non-profit organization founded to promote a deeper understanding of the role of parents and others in supporting our youth to become competent, caring and responsible community members.
All gifts are tax-deductible.
To volunteer or contribute, visit www.familycenterweb.org, call (313) 432.3832.
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or write to: The Family Center
20090 Morningside Drive, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236.