I am writing in regards to the police beat of the Oct. 1 issue of The Miami Student and specifically the section titled "Junior finds two broken windows." I take issue with the sentences in which the student reports he believed members of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity were responsible for criminal mischief.
The mentioning of the fraternity in the police blotter upsets and discourages me, as no member of the fraternity has been charged with any crime related to the matter. The student reported his suspicions to the police and they were appropriately noted in the police report, but the mention of the name without any accompanying charges represents a gross violation of the newspaper's journalistic integrity.
The newspaper must recognize not only its obligation to print facts, but its impact on the reputation of organizations. Naming an organization in connection to a crime that none of its members have formal ties to is both slanderous and inappropriate reporting. Why the standards of The Miami Student slipped to speculation on this occasion saddens me greatly.
Incorrectly and improperly appearing in the police blotter overshadows the countless hours the organization has spent striving for a respectable reputation not only for itself, but Miami University's Greek system as a whole. I ask for an apology from the newspaper and a recommitment to journalistic standards.
Michael Mesrobian
Vice president alpha chapter of phi kappa tau
mesrobme@muohio.edu
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