The mid-December shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, continues to garner immense news coverage worldwide. But the student press overall has not produced many stories or commentaries touching on the tragedy– simply because many outlets had already stopped publishing for the semester prior to its occurrence.
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At the start of spring semester, college media should at last offer an array of related Sandy Hook reports and perspectives for their student readers. Here are five story ideas to help get them started on their coverage.
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The ideas are tied to a few campus newspapers that– much to their credit– have already published news pieces and op-eds.
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1) To start, tell the stories of any students, faculty, staff, alumni or nearby community members who are Sandy Hook grads or have a connection of any sort to the school or Newtown– including through a sibling or a friend. For example, The Daily Orange at Syracuse University recently tracked down three SU students and Newtown natives, providing glimpses into how they are dealing with news in which the word “horrifying barely even scratches the surface.”
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As an SU senior from Newtown, whose mother is a teacher and younger sister a student at Sandy Hook, told the Orange, “I’m just hoping people realize that this town is a lot more than what’s been displayed on the news for the last day and a half or so. It still really is an idyllic New England town with good schools, and good athletics, and good people.”
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2) Along with remembering and honoring the dead, do not forget those still in mourning. As Caleb Hendrich, the editorial editor of The Rocky Mountain Collegian at Colorado State University, writes, “In the coverage and discussion of shootings, and the eventual discussions surrounding gun policy, the lives of the victims and their families need to be held sacrosanct. These are not statistics to be used and exploited. These are not examples to be thrown around lightly. These are people’s lives; their grief and their loss must never ever be forgotten in the wake of these tragedies.”
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Using the Newtown shooting as a foundation, explore the larger infrastructure and set of routines surrounding grief and mourning on your campus. What related services and staff are available for students in mourning over personal and national tragedies? How do students and staffers of different faiths and from different parts of the country and world deal with their grief? And what is life like for those enduring post-traumatic stress disorder related to an event of this magnitude?
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3) In the wake of the shooting, The Michigan Daily published a story on a University of Michigan alumnus– and a past graduate of Sandy Hook– who has raised more than $100,000 for the Sandy Hook Parent-Teacher-Student Association. As he told the Daily, “I immediately started this fund within like 20 minutes of finding out that this had happened, in order to try to pool some financial resources to help these families heal.”
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The Daily‘s focus on his act of kindness is an appropriate complement to the larger coverage of murder, mental illness, and guns. It is also a nice way to spotlight at least a sliver of positive news amid the tragedy.
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Follow the Daily‘s lead by exploring the charitable and volunteer efforts carried out by individuals and groups at your school connected to Sandy Hook– and to other, perhaps more local, tragedies that have recently occurred.
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4) Due to the enormity of their presence in Newtown and their endless stories dissecting various aspects of the shooting, the news media have inserted themselves into the Sandy Hook narrative– and prompted an impassioned public response.
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As Calvin College junior Ryan Struyk writes for the Chimes student newspaper, “People on Facebook, Twitter and blogs have sounded off against these journalists, calling them insensitive and heartless, while calling the work they do intrusive and unnecessary.”
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But in his view, the journalists’ work– while at times intrusive– is necessary and can bring about needed catharsis, conversation and change. In his words, “[A]s I watch the coverage, I see parents willing to struggle to find words for the immense loss they feel. I see children trying to share their pain with a world that feels the brokenness of sin daily. I see [the press] reaching out for support from politicians, charities, and Christians across the country. I see them sparking a critical and much-needed conversation on gun control in America. I see them willing to do anything to make sure this never happens again. How could we not tell this story?”
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Gauge the reactions of students and staff at your school about the post-shooting media coverage, possibly both in the immediate and long-term aftermaths. Determine whether they noticed a difference in the content or quality of the coverage provided by local and national outlets and among those in print, on TV and online.
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5) The last idea is perhaps the most obvious– and most necessary– candidate for related coverage. As Molly Stazzone, news editor of The Impact at New York’s Mercy College, writes, “Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, Colorado Cinema, and now Sandy Hook School in Newtown. What do all of these places have in common? These places and their communities have been destroyed by massive shoot-outs from deranged gunman [sic]. . . . For me the problem is gun control.”
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Whether considered a problem or a solution by various factions of the public, it is fair to say gun control is a front-and-center issue that will undoubtedly spur high-profile debate throughout 2013.
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From a reporting perspective, suss out the post-Sandy-Hook opinions of student gun owners and gun-control advocates. Observe the activities of campus and community pro-gun and pro-gun-control groups. Check in on the campus concealed-carry weapons debate. And investigate and share the gun control stances and voting records of local and state legislators.
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In addition, search for connections between your school and guns. For example, as The Daily Californian has uncovered, “Through its retirement plan, the University of California has invested millions of dollars in the manufacturer of the assault rifle used in the shootings at Sandy Hook.”
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Daily Princetonian Debates, Decides to Keep Anonymous Online Comments
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Henry Rome, online commenting, Princeton University, Shirley Tilghman, Student Newspaper, The Daily Princetonian on December 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
The Daily Princetonian is keeping its online commenting system anonymous. After a laudably transparent evaluation process tied to the construction of a new website, top staff at the Princeton University student newspaper agreed with a reader that “[a] few nasty comments here and there is an infinitesimally small price to pay for truly free, unabridged speech.”
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The two main arguments in favor of anonymity, from the Prince perspective: 1) Anonymity breeds greater reader engagement. As editors note, the paper’s “comment boards have earned the reputation as the most active compared with those of the other Ivy League newspapers.” And 2) It enables readers to feel comfortable discussing more intimate or controversial topics or expressing more unpopular views– without being held back by fear of damage to their short-term or long-term Google prints/reputations.
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In a column late last week headlined “We’re Keeping Anonymity,” Prince editor-in-chief Henry Rome wrote, “While we acknowledge that some users hide behind anonymity to make mean-spirited or offensive comments, the benefits of anonymity far outweigh the perceived cost. On a small college campus, requiring names or log-ins that can be traced back to University accounts will stymie public dialogue. As the comments on coverage of the University’s Greek ban or of the suicide of lecturer Antonio Calvo demonstrated, members of our community who are nervous about speaking out use the ‘Prince’ comments as a way to make their voices heard. More recently, the comments on the Love and Lust in the Bubble series show the value of an honest dialogue about sensitive issues of sex and relationships that would not happen without anonymity.”
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The Prince’s anonymous pledge is against the wishes of Princeton University president Shirley Tilghman. As she argued in a letter to the editor late last month, “Anonymity invites candor, to be sure, but it also invites thoughtlessness, not to mention malice and spite. In an academic community like ours, anonymous comments strike me as entirely out of place. They are antithetical to our Honor Code, whose guiding principle is that ideas are the coin of the realm. The Honor Code demands that students ‘own their words’ in their academic work.”
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There were 54 comments posted in response to her letter, expressing an array of perspectives. One retort to Tilghman’s refrain: “Some people use anonymity as an opportunity to be cruel and spiteful. Others use it as a way to share the truth that should rightly be shared, but which people in power want suppressed. If the Prince prohibits anonymous posting, then the former will find other forums for their malice, while the latter will more likely be silenced. But more importantly, as a reader I would rather have the opportunity to see all opinions expressed than miss out on learning about opinions that are unpopular or unfavorable to those in power. I can always ignore the trolls when they post. But I can’t read the legitimate critics if they’ve been silenced.”
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Related
Daily Princetonian to Stop Using Email Quotes in News Stories, Except in ‘Extraordinary Circumstances’
Princeton Student’s Column Criticizing Annual Giving Prompts Online Comments War
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