There were 37 arrests and infractions at Clam Jam this year. For the most part, fines were given out for open containers, indecent exposure, trespassing and public intoxication. Later that same day, Channel 8 News featured Clam Jam festivities on the evening news. The report was extremely editorialized and completely exaggerated; students were depicted as belligerent rule-breakers. If this is the worst that our student body behaves, then the town of Fairfield should lighten up.
This year’s Clam Jam was a lot tamer than previous years. While some students, granted, were not law-abiding, the majority were trying to appease the beach residents’ requests as best they could while still having fun. Clam Jam is one of the many Fairfield traditions that will always be difficult to break. Students will always be drawn to the beach, regardless of how many students are actually allowed to live there.
Next time the news wants to cover Clam Jam, they should make sure they stick to a journalistic approach and report the story with both sides represented. The reporter is supposed to stay impartial – and in this report, he definitely did not.
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