Pubdate: Thu, 04 Sep 2003
Source: Columbia Daily Spectator (NY Edu)
Copyright: 2003 Spectator Publishing Company
Contact:  http://www.columbiaspectator.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2125
Author: Daniel Blau

REPORTER NEEDS TO DIG DEEPER AND TO AVOID SENSATIONALISM

To the Editor:

Like any paper, I'm sure Spectator is always on the lookout for a scoop. 
This kind of hot story can be found either through investigative 
journalism, which can be a daunting though rewarding process, or the paper 
can simply dish out the latest gossip. The latter is often referred to as 
sensationalism, which is exactly what Spectator is practicing when it 
prints the name of an arrested Columbia student on the front page, 
implicating him in a crime he has yet to be tried for ("CC Senior Arrested 
for Marijuana Possession," Sept. 4, 2003).

In America, one is innocent until proven guilty. If you want a scoop, try 
figuring out how the cops got a warrant to search a student's room. 
Answering that question will take a lot of hard work, but the pursuit of 
truth is its own reward.

Daniel Blau, CC '06,

Sept. 4, 2003
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MAP posted-by: Jackl