On July 14, and later updated on July 15, The Rafu Shimpo website posted a notice entitled “Missing Girl Last Seen in Chula Vista” about a minor from Santa Clara County who was reported missing in Chula Vista. The information in our notice
came from a flyer that was posted online, which asked people to contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department or the Chula Vista Police Department. The flyer apparently was posted by a family member of the girl.
Our notice repeated the statement on the flyer that the girl had been abducted by her father. But since the facts of the case were in dispute at the time, our article should have said “allegedly.” In fact, the father denies that he abducted his daughter and further states that she was never missing. He has presented information suggesting that law enforcement knew where she was at all times, and that she was with him at her own request.
The Rafu Shimpo has removed the notice from the website and it is no
longer available. The Rafu Shimpo runs notices of missing persons as an urgent
public service and does follow-up announcements when the person is located, which we did in this instance. This situation was unusual because it involved an allegation of wrongdoing, and the post should have cited the original source and verified the accuracy of the information prior to posting. We apologize for any misunderstanding.
For more information about our editorial ethics and correction policy, click here: https://rafu.com/the-rafu-shimpo-editorial-ethics-correction-policy/