Letter to the Editor: Questions on student media coverage

More and more this past year, I have attempted to read the Skiff to better understand what it is that makes students on campus read or not read its content.

I am all for the push of a newspaper to an audience. Much like entertainment television, readers want interesting stories to tell their comrades and families about what is going on around campus.

What cannot be allowed, however, is the glorification of student mishaps and misfortunes for front-page news, and I am upset that three front-page stories highlighted such situations.

When the campus was impacted by the death of Mackenzie Workman, it was disheartening to see her memory as the tagline in the Jan. 18 issue “Sophomore Neeley fellow found dead,” with the article’s story highlighting only her contributions to the Honors College and Neeley Fellows Program.

For the Jan. 25 issue, when I was reading the tagline “Student finds blade in food during meal” in Market Square, I was concerned for Taylor Showalter. At first it was for the safety of a resident in the hall that I work in and then soon after for the attitude that students around me had toward the situation he was put in.

Then for the Jan. 31 issue, as I ate lunch with a colleague at Red Cactus, I read the front page of the Skiff detailing how Catherine Ratelle’s actions (implying that she was drunk and texting) were imprinted for the campus to criticize.

The students aforementioned may or may not be known at a personal level. However, the reporters of the Skiff have taken these three names and placed them under a spotlight for all other university students to sit back and critique line for line.

Awareness is important for each of these stories that have been made by Lexy Cruz and Bailey McGowan. Since it has been a while that I have been involved with reporting, I understand that I may have lost the separation between what is considered news and what is considered newsworthy.

When the ethics of a paper are brought into question, I can only hope that the side of caution is erred over meeting a print deadline. I do ask that in the future stories made by the Skiff be made with regard to the students and the impact that stories printed about them may have.

For stories released posthumously, incorporate more than their accomplishments and brief overview of life. With regard to stories involving student safety — be it from other people, policies or their food — the intent of the story must be balanced by the perception of its potential readers.

Lastly, if students make mistakes, let their mistakes be reported without tarnishing what image they have at the university.

Juan Martinez is a senior communication studies major from Uvalde.