Dear Readers,
As a public service, the Pioneer publishes a Crime Blotter so that students, faculty and staff are made aware of any incidents that have occurred on campus. At the beginning of the fall semester, a Pioneer reporter went to the office of public safety to obtain any recent information. The last incident logged in the book was from April.
The Pioneer’s assistant news editor returned to the office of public safety last week, and was told that there were two incidents since, it was unclear if the crime blotter had been updated. A federal law called the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act requires all federally funded colleges and universities to make publicly available a log of crimes that have occurred on campus. Stay tuned for further updates. Following is what the office of public safety provided to the Pioneer:
On September 7, public safety responded to a report in Hillwood Commons regarding a lost car key. The car was a rental from Enterprise. The key has not been found.
On September 8, a fire alarm went off in Lodge A, room 201. The Roslyn Fire Department arrived at the scene. The alarm was due to a smell in the room, but the cause was unknown. The Fire Department reset the alarm.
The Pioneer’s mission is to inform the LIU Post community about news occurring on campus. The staff works very hard to put out a weekly newspaper 12 times during the fall and spring semesters. As the editor of the news section, it has come to my attention multiple times this semester that members of the administration simply will not respond when asked for comments or quotes. Other times, my staff has been ignored completely.
This semester we have faced a number of challenges with administration and other sources. One of our editors was told that he could not take a picture of the new Tilles Center Director unless the story was approved in advance by the dean of students. Members of the Tilles Center stated that they could not speak to the Pioneer, and referred questions to the dean of students. Students working in the office of campus life have stated that they have been told by administration they are not allowed to speak with us. The RA’s, Facilities, Public Safety, among others, have also stated that they are not allowed to comment on even non-controversial stories being reported by my writers.
Part of a journalist’s job is to report information fairly and accurately. Without truthful and accurate information from members of our administration, who often are the only ones with such information, our job as journalists becomes that much more difficult. Having a journalism program means we need to learn how to go out and report. Many internships and jobs often ask for samples or clips of work we have done while in school.
We simply cannot have a journalism department without a newspaper, and we can’t have a fully functioning newspaper without sources. The intention of the paper is not to harm the school, but to report fairly, accurately and ethically about things that happen on campus. Being able to practice our writing skills is how we prepare for our futures.
Caroline Ryan, News Editor
Alec Matuszak reported on the crimes
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