The Collegian
Friday, March 29, 2024

What was up with the popsicles?

This week's question stemmed from last week's Police Report in which The Collegian included a report made to the university police department that said popsicles valued at $5 were taken from an apartment during the summer.

Yes, it seems ridiculous to some, and I can understand why someone would wonder why we bothered putting such a small thing in the Police Report.

Basically, we print what comes to us unless it is false or damaging. Reporting that a box of popsicles was stolen may seem dumb and superfluous (I had to use that word) to some, but it was obviously important enough to someone else that they felt they needed to report it to police.

On the other hand, it is up to journalists to decide what information their readers need and want to know. In this case, it was definitely a want-to-know situation. Although it is not vital to a Richmond community member's existence to know that someone stole popsicles, we decided people would want to know because it was pretty hilarious. One of the things I think people like most about the Police Report are the ridiculous and unusual things people do here, and a box of stolen popsicles was certainly one of those things.

This question about what we print also arose last year, after The Collegian printed an opinion article that was sexist and racist. We received a lot of flak for printing that article; but The Collegian editors decided, after a lot of debate, that they were not going to silence anyone simply because they had an offensive opinion.

In an editor's note accompanying the article, Collegian editors noted that the article might be offensive and that it did not reflect the views of Collegian staff members. The note said the article was part of an ongoing dialogue. Because that was the case, the editors decided the university community needed to see that person's opinion.

I would argue the most important factor in that decision was that the author was willing to sign his name to his opinion. If he had wanted to remain anonymous, Collegian editors would not have even considered printing it, as is their policy for possibly offensive comments on The Collegian's Web site. The Collegian and thecollegianur.com are meant to inform the public and give a voice to different opinions. If people want to remain anonymous because they feel they will face retribution for their comments or opinions in ways that will cause them physical harm or cause them to lose their jobs, etc., Collegian editors will consider their requests for anonymity on a case-by-case basis.

Although deciding to print a report on stolen popsicles doesn't measure up to the debate that should go into the decision to print something offensive, it is important for readers and journalists to think about what they read and print and why.

Contact staff writer Stephanie Rice at stephanie.rice@richmond.edu

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