Your article (“Prosecution looks troubled in Anne Arundel County murder case involving polyamorous couple," May 13, 2025) covers a significant legal development — but the headline leads with an irrelevant detail that risks distorting the public’s understanding of the case.

Nothing in the article suggests that the polyamorous nature of the relationship had any bearing on the crime itself. Highlighting it in the headline creates the misleading impression that non-monogamy is somehow linked to violence or instability. That implication — whether intentional or not — plays into long-standing cultural biases that have no place in serious journalism.

People in polyamorous relationships, like those in monogamous ones, experience the full range of connection: love, partnership, conflict and sometimes, heartbreak. That fact isn’t inherently scandalous. It shouldn’t be treated as a hook.

A headline should inform, not sensationalize. I hope The Banner will consider the weight headlines carry and the narratives they shape.

Suzanne Summerlin, Federal Hill

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