So That's How Stupid You Think I Am...

Sydney Morning Herald journalists believe the less information you have about criminals, the easier it'll be to catch them.

Seems they're up to their old tricks of editing descriptions of Middle Eastern ethnicity out of police reports, as Tim Blair reveals:

SMH: '...was described as thin with broad shoulders and a goatee beard, wearing a blue baseball cap, a white long-sleeve hooded jumper and grey tracksuit trousers with a yellow stripe down each side.'

Police: '...is described as being of Middle Eastern appearance, aged about 25 or 26, dark complexion, 178cm to 183cm, thin build with broad shoulders and a goatee. He was wearing a blue baseball cap with white writing on the front, a white long sleeve jumper with a hood and grey tracksuit pants with a yellow stripe down each side.'

When Blair calls them on it, the SMH has the affrontery to claim describing a suspect's ethnic background 'hardly narrows it down and serves no purpose' in enabling witnesses to recognise them.

Except when they're:

a man described as being of white/European appearance

-- Nick