I’ve been at UNF for three-and-a-half years, and I’ve worked for residence life for almost three. I’ve seen plenty of incidents in my day, and seen issues I was involved with get published by student media on campus.

As a journalism major, I—more that most—understand the ins and outs of what it means to be a news source, and the rules and rights a news source has. I know what a newspaper is allowed to do, what they aren’t and when there are times that certain decisions by a newspaper or publication are left to discretion.

One decision that has wracked my brain since my first day in college is why “Police Beat,” or other sections in student media are synonymous to the “gossip column.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I love gossip more than most people. I would have to shamefully admit to that. Why? Perhaps because I’m fascinated by people and why they do what they do—perhaps that’s why journalism fascinates me so much.

When a student commits a crime on campus, they are reported to the University Police Department, and if it happens in a residence hall, they are sent to conduct within the Housing Department. Student conduct is a process most students encounter if they commit a crime or infraction against Housing or University policy—for those outside of UNF I recognize that different steps are present at different universities, but it’s generally the same.

If you’ve committed a crime or infraction, your name might make its way to police record—usually if you’re arrested—and from that you will likely find yourself in the next update of Police Beat.

Yes, It’s Legal to Publish Certain Names—In Case You Were Wondering

Inciting the idea in our own newspaper brings the “C-word” into play, something that journalists everywhere cringe over — Censorship. That’s right, as much as some might be all gung-ho to end the practice, the argument on the other side is that censorship or the editing of press freedom before publication can set papers everywhere on a slippery slope to more and more restrictions imposed on media.

According to the Poynter Institute, a non-profit school for journalism and a staple in the profession, two schools have made the shift for selective censorship when it comes to student’s names. The article details a new trend in journalism with regards to student's names.

The University of Connecticut, Miami (Ohio) University and a few other institutions have disbanded the practice of publishing names. While they both have garnered some criticism, they have some reasons why.

Reasons to Not Publish Names

1. With the new ease of being able to research a person from everything they’ve done in their life before you ever speak a word to them, to small indiscretions students made as dumb freshmen, can no longer be hidden or glossed over. The article by Poynter references “possession of small amounts or marijuana or alcohol-induced disorderly conduct” as minor offenses that could follow students to job interviews.
2. The “Police Beat” or other similar columns at universities across the country are allowed and at times encouraged, to inform the community. Another goal for stopping the publication of names is to discontinue “intended [goals of] incit[ing] gossip about individuals.” Small schools can easily fall prey to a high school gossip mentality.

Reasons to Publish Names

1. “Self-censorship” as a practice can lead to other mandatory rules imposed on student media, some having more harmful effects than helpful ones.
2. Stories about incidents without names could be viewed as not believable or relatable to readers, this defeating the point of informing the public about the issues at hand.

While the issue at hand is names of offenders, guilty or not, some papers even provide the mug shot and consider this an act of informing the public and a norm.

What Should You Take Away?

Personally, I think it is detrimental to publish names of students that commit infractions or more commonly are arrested on campus. Every student that lives on a college campus is in a bubble — your whole life is on your campus and some students don’t leave campus for weeks on end.

College is an experimental time, and it is obvious that students will make mistakes coming out of the parental gate. College is where you’re going to mess up, don’t make it as harsh as the real world, especially for students that need a transition period between their parent’s nest and the real world.