To the Editor:
Regardless of what this person did, The Dartmouth's choice to report on the personal life of a student charged with child pornography was in poor taste ["Freshman faces child pornography charge," April 6].
This is a wonderful example of how disgraceful the American media has become. Ethics and decency aside, The Dartmouth lunged at an eye-catching story. The content of your article proved the superficiality of your subject. The piece was filled with needless details of legal proceedings. The story was only in the headline. From a one-sentence statement, The Dartmouth attempted to form a five-paragraph story. There was nothing to write! Any interest that may have built up with the headline disappeared in the second paragraph. So why did you bother to write the article? What was your purpose? Did you wish to publicly defame the individual? I doubt The Dartmouth acted in the best interests of the "children" here at Dartmouth. This isn't the same as identifying a rapist, which is questionable in its own right. There are laws to identify sex offenders and protect those at risk. Consequently, our community does not need The Dartmouth to protect us while ruining the individual.
The bottom line is that the actions of this person are not our business. I wish your staff had paid closer attention to the quote from the anonymous roommate in the article. Perhaps those words might be a good point of reference in the future.
The aspects of the article that amazed me were the front-page placement, name and photograph of the individual. The most I could ever see as valid would have been if you printed the story, sans names and images. Clearly, your regard for the rights of others is slim. Yes, this person does have rights. He hasn't been convicted. When he finally is, then let the legal system determine whether the community should be informed about him. Thanks for the concern, but I'm pretty sure the authorities have it well under control.
This is very disheartening. I thought that The Dartmouth was a shining gem among news publications. I'm glad that your staff has shown its true colors, though. Now I can spend the money I might have subscribed with on a subscription to the Enquirer or Star.
When will the media take responsibility for its image? I know, only when money and power become irrelevant. Thanks, but no thanks for your "news." Y'all can keep your smut. I'll spend my time reading something positive, like The Sports Weekly.
