Editorial

Media policy not in best interest of student sources

After an all-college media policy was released in August, it became harder for Advocate reporters to speak to sources, especially students.

There have been times when it has been more difficult to get a softball schedule than an interview with President John Sygielski, the man with the busy schedule.

It seems as though the unified voice of the college believes this policy is a good idea. It’s a good way to speak with one voice and make sure everyone is on the same page; however it is also a way to take away individual voices from the mix.

If someone has to “ask permission” from the Office of College Advancement, or even just notify them that a story is being written and they have been asked to do an interview with a reporter, that, in a sense, takes away a bit of their individuality. It gives the Office of College Advancement a chance to tell the person what to say and how to say it.

In the real world, businesses and corporations do have privacy contracts employees must sign in order to keep confidentiality, but this is a public institution where nearly everything is public record. Public record means that these items of information must be made accessible to those searching for them.

If an Advocate reporter needs to speak with an Associated Student Government leader about the voter registration drive, the Office of College Advancement should not be notified first. Facts like these most often are not controversial and it seems a waste of time to have to jump through so many hoops in order to gather them.

The media regulation should be modified and clarified throughout the staff and the ASG so both know which stories they can speak freely on and which really do “require” speaking to the Office of College Advancement first.

It would make the process flow more smoothly and still give reporters a chance to exercise their First Amendment rights.