The Augusta Press made the decision to include the name and photo of 4-month-old Waverly Sourdiff in our reporting after careful consideration, and we’d like to explain why.
This devastating case is the subject of an active death investigation. When law enforcement is involved in the unexpected death of a child, it becomes a matter of public concern. Our responsibility is to report the facts accurately, clearly, and with care.
Her mother has since asked us to take the story down and called us “vile” for not doing so. We want to be clear: we deeply sympathize with her unimaginable loss. Her pain is real and valid. But journalism cannot operate solely on personal permission, especially when a public investigation is involved. If families alone dictated coverage of such cases, too many vital stories would never reach the public.
We first reported on the incident itself shortly after it occurred, like all other media. But we made a deliberate decision to wait more than a week — until after the funeral — before publishing Waverly’s name and photo. The name had been released a day after her death by the sheriff’s office. The photo we used was publicly shared by the funeral home, and the same image had already been circulated by the family’s pastor and through social media posts. Our story included language from Waverly’s obituary to honor her life respectfully.
Further, the courts have recognized that sometimes the public’s right to know about matters of interest supersedes an individual’s right to privacy. In this case, where a child died at a local private day care facility, failure to report on the matter could potentially put other potential clients of that center at risk.
This case has also raised serious questions about child care, safety standards, and the broader lack of access to quality day care in our community. These are hard but necessary conversations, and we believe it’s our duty to help inform them.
Our coverage has received support from many readers who recognized the balance we tried to strike. One commenter wrote, “I think y’all did the right thing and handled it properly.” Others have disagreed. We hear and respect those views. But we stand by the decision to tell this story in full, with honesty and compassion.
Waverly’s life mattered. Telling her story does too.
