My responsibility to students

I felt it was important today to clarify what I believe is our responsibility as a campus newspaper today.Our responsibility as the campus' main media outlet is to inform students to the best of our ability. Taylor Bradford's murder is the biggest story and tragedy to hit this campus. A very small group of you took exception to our story that ran Wednesday that said police were looking for two students for information. I stand behind that story, but I would like to offer some explanation. The rumors surrounding Bradford's murder have been rampant this week.I've heard the whispers in almost every class.I've received numerous e-mails and phone calls that gave accusations and accounts from students who were 100 percent sure of how Bradford was murdered.When Memphis Police walked around campus Wednesday with two photos asking if they knew where two students were, the e-mails and calls really picked up.Students began to call and say a female student had been arrested for the murder.Others said they knew about a plot to set Taylor up and make the murder look like a robbery. But our job is not to print rumors and student opinions that are not involved in the case.But that is not to say we should have not investigated it.Please understand, I felt the story that ran Wednesday was important not only to point out the order for protection petition, but to also help clear up a lot of rumors.Every inch of Nevin Batiwalla's story is based on public records and dependable student interviews. For those of you who feel that stories like these prematurely indict students for crimes, I ask you to please think better of our city and this campus. I believe that we can, in fact, learn information about individuals but not necessarily label them in our heads as suspects or criminals.I wanted the article to point out that the two students in the article were wanted by police for information, not as suspects, as so many of you called in to claim yesterday.And just because I have experience covering homicides for other publications and experience with searching public records, should I withhold information I've found?I ask you, is it not relevant to point out that a woman police are looking for - even just for information - recently had an order of protection filed against her by a man who was murdered at the same complex she lived at?Would we even be debating this if Taylor had been a woman and filed a protection order against a man?What is irresponsible, in my opinion, is the reporting done by some TV stations that feature interviews with students speculating on rumors.TV station reporters have also stolen names and phone numbers off our dry erase board in our office and have taken facts, based on and verified by public documents, and distorted them to make it appear that we are pointing a finger at students. I promise you that you will not see a student in this newspaper who will be quoted claiming that they heard from two friends who knew Taylor's best friend who knew that he was shot because of this or that.There is no court document, no police report to verify those remarks.So I encourage you to continue to pass along information and to look at The Helmsman as a place for information.Send us your thoughts and criticisms. I've never shied away from publishing harsh criticism from students. But, I say to you with a heavy heart that all of these stories and the people they affect concern me.But I will not withholdinformation from students.As long as students continue to ask for information that has not been spun, we will continue to give it to them.