Spring Break
Attempted suicide story should not have been printed
By: Justin Dillon
Issue date: 10/15/08 Section: Letters
Last update: 10/15/08 at 6:54 AM EST
Last update: 10/15/08 at 6:54 AM EST
As a Duke alum and former Chronicle editor-in-chief, I read with some dismay the Oct. 10 story about the student who attempted suicide in Aycock, "Student attempts suicide." What, exactly, was the point of running that story? The student was apparently not charged with a crime, nor does the attempt appear to have had newsworthy ripple effects beyond the predictable gossiping about it. Lest you think that suicide attempts are inherently newsworthy, please ask yourself when you last saw a major newspaper run an article about the suicide attempt of a non-public figure. And to the extent that you ran the story because you wanted to make a larger point about Duke's mental health support network, the story contained absolutely nothing to that effect. It was, instead, simply prurient, and an unnecessary invasion of the student's privacy. I hope that in the future, you will exercise more discretion.
Justin Dillon
Trinity '96
Justin Dillon
Trinity '96
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 10
not only that.....
posted 10/15/08 @ 9:13 AM EST
The Chronicle story credited three reporters who worked on it. Three.
I'd like to see such a posse run down real issues around campus.
Dirty laundry
posted 10/15/08 @ 11:06 AM EST
The Chronicle is not a "major newspaper." Its scope is not national news or the news from a large metropolitan conurbation. It's a college paper, reporting on events at Duke. (Continued…)
alum & professional journalist
posted 10/15/08 @ 2:37 PM EST
"Dirty Laundry" is correct. The health and welfare of students appropriately falls into a campus newspaper's definition of "news." And an event in a public setting is, by definition, no longer private. (Continued…)
An Outsider's Perspective
posted 10/15/08 @ 2:37 PM EST
I completely agree with Mr. Dillon's analysis of The Chronicle's coverage, and as a current Editor in Chief of a small liberal arts college newspaper, find it frankly disturbing that anyone would think a story like this belonged in the newspaper, much less on the front page (here's lookin' at you, Dirty Laundry). (Continued…)
The Bi-College News...
posted 10/15/08 @ 3:44 PM EST
...so-called because it prints everything twice, I gather.
Chris M.
posted 10/15/08 @ 8:37 PM EST
Re: The attempted suicide. There were so many responders on the scene, so much of a melee with the student being treated in a public restroom. I would have wondered why it had not been covered. (Continued…)
kwan
posted 10/16/08 @ 9:29 PM EST
Of course it should have been printed. It's an event directly related to students lives on campus. It is worthy of notice. Dictating whether a newspaper should or should not print a factual truth is arrogant in itself not only in trying to control information flow among the public, but strongly reminiscent of what's happening in dictatorian regimes of underdeveloped countries. (Continued…)
steven
posted 10/16/08 @ 11:27 PM EST
in the past, the euphemism "died unexpectedly" was used in short articles noting actual suicides.
according to that precedent, an attempted suicide should require even more discretion and brevity. (Continued…)
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