Saying something is better than saying nothing at all.
In recent weeks the Equinox has been faced with some issues and has had nowhere to turn for the answers. While we haven’t been fed lies, the people we speak to are sometimes not as forthcoming or accessible as we need them to be.
As the journalists of this college, it is our job – our civic duty – to provide all members of Keene State College with the news, both the good and the bad.
This job has become increasingly difficult for us as we have been left without many answers from administration.
Photo by Jake Coughlin / Administrative Executive Editor
The problem with silence is that it leads to confusion, speculation and, worst of all, rumors. With simple communication, we can avoid this confusion, speculation and rumors.
When news hits, it’s our job to report the cold, hard facts, whatever that may be. We have to hold ourselves to a certain professional standard that many do not understand or agree with.
The issue seems to be a combination of two things. We need for administration to speak up and we need a break from all that is being funneled through public relations.
Oftentimes, Equinox reporters run into trouble when trying to get information on a controversial story.
If we or one of our staff writers asks a coach, dean or administrator to make a comment on a story, this is because we truly value their input.
If a reporter contacts someone as a source for his or her story, it is most likely because they have important ties to what the story is about. Instead what we see happening is our writers being passed along to a college public relations spokesperson who is not closely affiliated with the story.
We need direct contact from people who have accurate information in order to do our jobs correctly.
All we can ask is for people to speak up. Issues don’t just go away by avoiding them.
In fact, they get worse. Although it is tempting to sweep things that make our school look bad under the rug, that will get us nowhere.
As students who pay thousands of dollars per year to attend this school, we have a right to know, we deserve to be aware of what goes on at this college.
When we ask people to comment on certain issues, we encourage that they let their voice be heard. Speak up for what’s right; speak for the truth. Otherwise, we, and the rest of the student body, are left in the dark.
This is not a corporate environment; this is a public institution. When important issues aren’t talked about, a community starts to get torn apart.
This college should be the backbone of this community. The only way we can fix this problem is by bridging the communication gap between administration and the Equinox which represents the KSC community.
It can all be distilled down to one common idea: talking to each other. After all, without communication there is no community.
