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Big Moment for Student News
But the Question is: Is Praise for Protest Coverage Deserved?
With protests proliferating and escalating at college campuses, both here and abroad, student media is having a moment.
The students cover daily happenings in a manner that illustrates they’ve mastered transactional reporting. Transactional is simply this: How many people are there now versus yesterday? What time did the cops arrive? Here’s what today’s email from the administration says about the protests.
While the student press’s continuous efforts to provide breaking news updates on this 24/7 event are commendable, a crucial element is missing. It’s essential to highlight this gap, as it’s leading to a media bubble that confines student journalists to a repetitive narrative.
As mentioned in last week’s piece, the reason behind the protests is missing from the student news coverage. Without that, what we’re left with is war serving as a backdrop (excuse?) for what the real issue appears to be: students against the administration.
Students should protest. It’s a rite of passage. But when the few and only quotes from students defending their pro-Palestinian stance stem from what’s happened between Palestine and Israel during the last few months, what must be asked is far more questions. Why…
