Saratogian 'pot party' article sensationalizes '420'
Issue date: 4/24/09 Section: Opinions/Editorial
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As students, we should not take issue with negative press. Those of us who chose to go outside, whether to partake in the festivities or simply to be outside, knew what was going on and went willingly. The problem is in how the article was structured. It created a magnifying glass that focuses readers on one small part of 420 and leaves them blind to the larger picture.
Where was the information about the national scale of the event? Where was the reporting about drug use off campus? In business, no news is often good news, but in the newspaper business, good news usually means no news. But that doesn't mean we should sensationalize events. The college doesn't try to hide 420 from the world; if it wanted to cover it up, it would stop hosting events for accepted students when it occurs.
The reason no police arrived and no arrests were made is because no violence occurred. A law was broken, but laws are broken daily without police action. The point to focus on is that no one got hurt. There were no riots, no vandalism and no destruction. People were smoking pot, so it shouldn't be surprising that they weren't getting rowdy. They had couches and tents, not tools of violence. The level of safety is readily apparent if we compare 420 to Fun Day, where ambulances are parked nearby for when things get out of control.
One of the worst generalizations to come out of this event is the generalization that Skidmore is responsible for the Saratoga drug trade. Aside from the improbability of that argument, we're being painted as a bunch of stoners, when, in fact, we're not. The photos paired with the article imply that everyone there was smoking marijuana. Some people are visible smoking some sort of cigarette, but that doesn't mean everyone on the green was participating.
Now, more than ever, we're painted as irresponsible children - juvenile delinquents even. Saratoga Springs residents don't seem to want us involved in their community, but they're happy to take part in our events. We do so much more for Saratoga than we're recognized for. We serve as a focal point for arts events and academic lectures. Our athletes work with youth to teach them teamwork. We don't do these things for the recognition, but it'd be nice to see them publicized with at least the same fanfare negative events receive.
We are active, valuable members of the community, and we should be more than the people up on the hill who get blamed for Saratoga's problems.
Please check back to Skidmore News Online for continuing coverage of related events in the coming weeks.
To read the Skidmore News article, "Campus community anticipates '420'", published April 17, follow THIS LINK.
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