Statements like the one above are becoming the norm in the media, and many have a problem with that. Yes, there are those in Greek life who may tarnish the good-doings just as there are in any large group of people. However, that select group within Greek life is the few. On the other hand, the many within fraternities and sororities are genuinely good-hearted people who work hard to make a positive impact within their community, and maintain the integrity of Greek life.
As someone who is studying journalism and communications I understand that shocking statements attract readers and sell papers. Yet, in a world where the media is filled with statements bashing Greek life, wouldn’t positive headlines come across as shocking? Last year, my chapter spearheaded the MTSU Adopts a Family campaign. With the help of other fraternities, sororities, and other campus organizations, we raised over 6,000 dollars. To the dismay of many, this good deed wasn’t deemed newsworthy.
Fraternities and sororities nationwide raise money for numerous causes, though the media rarely covers this side of the organizations. In 2012, Sigma Chi chapters nationwide raised over 1.4 million dollars for philanthropy. You don’t often see this kind of information in the media not because it doesn’t happen, but because media outlets don’t want to publish it.
Everyone joins a fraternity or sorority for a different reason. Some join for the friendship. Some for support in school while away from family. Some for moral reasons. Some for less moral reasons (i.e., parties). Those who join for the party scene are greatly outnumbered by those who don’t.
Recently, the alleged actions of select members of the Theta Omega Chapter of Sigma Pi were called into question. A handful of its members supposedly exchanged messages demeaning to women. Some of these messages, such as “women are property she doesn’t have a say” and “I can get her the drunkest and then we can all get a round,” are under fire for perpetuating a rape culture. Don’t get me wrong, I found these extremely inappropriate messages to come from men of their caliber, but it’s important for us to understand that these are actions of the few. We also must understand that a system is in place to hold these students accountable. Instances such as this one also do not happen as often when compared to the good that Greeks do.
Fraternity men at MTSU are working hard to challenge the typical stereotypes. In the past year, men from every chapter have participated in the It's On Us movement to combat sexual assault on campus. Each year, fraternity men also participate in the Greek Week event Walk A Mile In Her Shoes. This walk brings awareness to sexual assault and the inequalities that many women face.
It is up to the journalists in the industry to understand the difference in reporting with integrity versus intentionally dragging entire groups of people through the dirt in name of the “so what” factor. The factor that journalists assess when reporting on a story – if people care about it. This only perpetuates a stereotype that many of these organizations are working to combat. Looking at some of these stories, it’s clear that journalistic integrity is sometimes taking a back seat in the name of gathering the most reads or clicks. When thinking of this, the Rolling Stone article published last year comes to mind.
With this particular article, allegations against a fraternity at the University of Virginia were made. The allegations falsely claimed a woman had been gang-raped by men who were not yet members of a fraternity. The writer even noticed holes in the woman’s story – she couldn’t remember his name – yet she submitted the story anyway.
The flaw-ridden story didn’t stop there. It went on to be edited and fact-checked, yet no one caught the lies that had been made. The Rolling Stone story is one of complete failure in journalism. Its lesson should be learned by journalists everywhere, yet the agenda to bring down Greek life lives. Journalism ethics clearly need revitalization.
It’s also important that we as a nation remember the negative impact generalizing a group of people has. We’ve debunked Donald Trump’s claims that all Mexicans are rapists and drug lords. Now let’s debunk that all fraternity members are sexist douchebags.
