Is A Person's Criminal Past Newsworthy When They Are The Apparent Victim?

By now you have probably seen the above footage of a woman being punched in the face by a Philadelphia police officer during the after party of the Puerto Rican Day parade.

The woman was charged with disorderly conduct though charges were later dropped. The police officer is on 30-day suspension and the police chief announced that the officer will be fired.

A few days after the incident, the Philly Post - the online component of Philadelphia magazine, reported that the woman punched in the face had a criminal record. She was busted for a DUI and related charges, including falsely identifying herself to police. She was sentenced to 82 days in jail for a theft conviction. And she was busted on a drug charge.

Is the woman's criminal history relevant to the story? Should it be published information?

Or did the Philly Post reporter overstep the boundaries of what a journalist is supposed to report?

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