College newspaper editor was told not to publish police blotter

[Ian David]

LAS VEGAS The editor of the student newspaper at New Mexico Highlands University says a school vice president pushed her not to publish the police crime log or other stories perceived as negative.

Senior political science major Rachael Ball, La Mecha's editor, said Judy Cordova, vice president for student affairs, urged her not to publish the police blotter -- which lists campus crime incidents -- because it casts the university in a negative light.

Ball said Cordova also rejected a story about a campus security officer who was arrested on suspicion of trafficking of cocaine.

La Mecha had not published for more than a year, but was revived late last semester. In Ball's first edition, she printed the blotter, but left it out of the second edition because of Cordova's stance and because campus police denied her request for the information, she said.

"She told me specifically not to print the blotter," Ball said. "She said she didn't feel the blotters were informative and that they reflected poorly on the university. News is both negative and positive. We're not an advertisement for Highlands University."

More:
http://editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003538851&imw=Y

[Lasher]

1. Good training for a career at Faux Snooze.

:mad:

[progdonkey]

2. maybe the VP should do a better job of screening security guards...

That should cut down on news that "reflects poorly" on the university.