Editorial: Our Commitment to Ethical, Independent Journalism.

[u/darthweef]

https://coyotechronicle.org/articles/editorial/coyotechronicleeditorialstudent

You may have noticed that the Coyote Chronicle received some backlash from our recent reporting on the death of a student. It's important to the Coyote Chronicle editorial team that our community of fellow students, staff, and faculty understand the commitment we hold to ethical, timely, and truthful journalism.

As always, we welcome the feedback of our community.

[u/Repulsive-Variety834]

Csusb prof here. The admin here doesn’t care what faculty and staff say. But they do listen to students. So hold their feet to the fire 🔥🔥🔥

[u/ralwn]

A student was found dead in their dorm on Friday after reports were made to University Police.

A CSUSB student was found dead on Oct. 2 in Arrowhead Village after a report was made to the University Police.

Some students reported an odd smell in the hallways of Building Six in the village; at first, they thought a burst pipe caused the odor. The students noticed police presence on their floor later in the day.

“I guessed dead body, but I didn’t expect to be right,” said one student, Kennedi Sanders.

https://coyotechronicle.org/articles/csusbnews/studentfounddeadatarrowheadvillage

(bold emphasis mine)

You call that ethical reporting? You guys are a-holes.

[u/Dizzinald → u/ralwn]

Can you elaborate on why you find that unethical?

[u/Old-End-4002 → u/Dizzinald]

I think this situation really highlights one of the harder realities of journalism. Most reporters are often expected to inform the public about difficult, sensitive events while also navigating criticism from every direction. If this story had never been published, Im ure there would likely be people asking why the student newspaper remained silent about an incident that occurred on the campus community.

That said, I do understand why many readers found the selected quote insensitive. Out of what was likely a larger pool of student responses, that particular comment did come across as unnecessarily harsh given the circumstances. However, it is also important to remember that the statement was made by a student, & not the reporter. The journalist was simply reporting what a source said, which is a fundamental part of news gathering.

Looking at the reporter's profile, this appears to have been their first article for the Coyote Chronicl, which makes it an especially bold assignment to take on. Reporting on a student's death is no easy introduction to journalism. It really does require a lot of demanding tasks such as like gathering fax, speaking w/ sources, meeting w/ deadlines, and making editorial decisions under intense public scrutiny, all while covering a tragedy that affects real people, us the student pool.

In the end, people can reasonably debate whether certain editorial choices were appropriate, but I think it is worth recognizing that journalism is rarely as simple as writing down facts. Every decision, from the timing to the process of sourcing to which quotes are included, is examined and often criticized. Thats one of the downsides of the profession, and it takes a certain level of resilience to do it.

Most importantly, tho, my condolences go out to the student's family, friends, and everyone affected by the loss.

[u/ralwn → u/Dizzinald]

Please go to the article link and read the comments, including the one left by a relative of the deceased.

Please imagine yourself losing a loved one and you come across this article and you read that line, and not just that one quote either but half the article is just insensitive.

Let me be perfectly clear: Nobody needed to be disciplined or reprimanded or anything over this. This was a learning opportunity for the paper but they chose to double-down here instead on Reddit.

[u/darthweef → u/ralwn]

The issue is that the family did not reach out to the Chronicle. Anyone can go on a public forum and make claims of being family members. That doesn’t make it so. There are processes.

We also had the students name and chose not to release that information, and still have not, as we were not clear on whether the family had been notified.

The facts are that a person died on campus property, and that makes it a newsworthy event, and we would have been remiss to not cover the story and provide accurate, timely, information.

[u/ralwn → u/darthweef]

Nobody is saying to not cover the story. Try this:

A CSUSB student died at Arrowhead Village on Friday, Oct. 2, according to university officials. University Police have not released the student’s identity or additional details. The university stated that there is no known danger to the residential community and directed students affected by the loss to campus counseling and support services.

[u/darthweef → u/ralwn]

None of what you’re saying is verified by multiple sources… no eyewitness account, no official statement from the university.. we included both, because it legitimizes the story. Multiple sources are always required for a news story.

We aren’t writing a blog.. there are rules.

[u/butterlover0221 → u/darthweef]

Just curious, why do you think their family should reach out to YOU during such a hard, difficult, and confusing time? It should be the other way around and should have been from the start before you even made the post on your website, your wording and choice to even put that quote from another student in your writing is absolutely disgusting, and this isn’t about criticism in the slightest bit, its about respect to the family AND deceased, a real human with a real family, not some article for you to get views on. Your justification for this article is straight bull shit.