The University dealt with considerable local fallout over the handling of a campus rape. Yet some students, even after coverage by all major local media outlets in both television and print, still do not know about the incident, proving that students should be reading news, both local and national.
The Minaret will report on events that seriously affect student safety, and students who are not reading and watching local news will not only be left out of the loop but could be endangering themselves.
People can criticize the media or the university for not uncovering or releasing information, but if media sources aren’t checked routinely, then the student is no better than the person not releasing the information. The Minaret will try this semester to make it difficult for even the most apathetic and insulated students to be unaware of campus issues and events. We will be updating stories on WUTT radio and providing more ways for students to receive the news. We’re also currently working on a webcast to provide video news reporting as another way to reach students.
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Watch the local news and register for e-mail updates on http://www.TheMinaretOnline.com to stay informed on issues that affect students.
The media’s other obligation to the public is to cover stories effectively and ethically. Local ABC affiliate WFTS 28 (ABC) was scooped by other stations on the campus rape story, and while showing up a day late, they were seeking a unique angle. They found one, becoming the only media outlet other than The Minaret to interview the victim’s roommates. Although the station chose not to name them, they still showed the roommates in video footage. This was a serious ethical indiscretion, making it possible for students to discover the identity of the victim through word of mouth, ingenuity or prior knowledge of the roommates.
The media need to be responsible in their disclosure of information and show concern for individual privacy, which is why The Minaret will withhold the names and pictures of the victim and the roommates.
The Minaret editors think the privacy of the victim is important, but obviously Channel 28 does not. Such actions hurt media credibility and make it even less likely that students or anyone in the public will turn to serious news sources for coverage of important events. Unethical reporting practices hurt not just the public but journalism as a whole.
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