Response to “Bridgeport Club Threatens Student Safety”
To begin, I want to make clear that in no way is this a response to the writer of the article. I repeat: I am not attacking the person but rather critiquing the writing of “Bridgeport Club Threatens Student Safety,” published on March 2.
On the night of the Act Against forum a lot of my friends spoke against the front page of The Mirror’s last article. This is my attempt to take our frustration and respond in a rational and systematic way.
To be clear, the premise for the “Bridgeport Club Threatens Student Safety” article is that there was a recent shooting at Bridgeport where no Fairfield University students were involved or injured.
One obvious problem is the narrowed view of the article. If you are not reporting on an incident regarding Fairfield students but want to address the dangers of leaving campus or attending night clubs, then why not support the article with other incidents from neighboring towns and cities?
If the article was to enlighten us on the potential dangers of night life outside of Fairfield, then why not include New Haven, parts of New York, etc…
The Bridgeport story could have opened the article but to have it as the only example of dangerous places that could affect Fairfield is limited journalism and biased writing.
I understand the role of a newspaper and its responsibility to relay relevant and important information to the audience. The basic: tell us what we want to know and what we should be aware of.
So, I am not asking you to be sensitive or avoid touchy topics – that’s not good journalism. This isn’t a call for limitations but a call for writers to dig deeper beyond the superficial stereotypes when writing an article.
This article is a perfect example of cherry picking. Although the focus seems to be dangers outside of Fairfield, only the negatives of Bridgeport are used to inform this focus.
This article marginalized the Bridgeport commuters, as well as Bridgeport students.
The image and title further stigmatized their home. When dealing with controversial topics (especially some of our homes), consider the manner in which it is presented and its effects on the student body. Consider if it is only showing a limited view of a greater issue.
Next time you need a big story for the cover of The Mirror, why not consider the educational Head Start program or the Boys and Girls Club of Bridgeport?
Last week’s newspaper came out blazing with its bold cover picture and charged with the Bridgeport stereotype – then that very same day, students spoke out against these stereotypes. The Mirror was a reflection of what we were against and not what was important to Fairfield students.
Our newspaper should reflect what is relevant to us. All I know is this isn’t what I stand for.
Last week’s issue was not my – our school newspaper.
– Crystal Rodriguez
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