From flames to theft: how news coverage left students vulnerable
From flames to theft: news coverage leaves students vulnerable
After their house fire made headlines, University Neighborhood residents thought their week couldn’t get worse.
For most people, if you experience a house fire, it will likely go down as one of the worst days of your life. Equally, if you experience a burglary, it may go down as one of the worst days of your life in of itself. However, for five Syracuse University students, both happened within 72 hours.
“It’s something you don’t think could ever happen to you,” said Charlotte Goodman, a senior studying anthropology and ethics.
Goodman and her roommates were displaced from their Livingston Avenue house on Sept. 6 after a lithium battery ignited a small fire. The housemates stayed with friends for a night before returning home to fully assess the fire damage.
The next night, Goodman stayed at a hotel and returned the following day only to be surprised by what she found.
“I was looking at one of my jewelry boxes and saw that the soot had been smudged even though I hadn’t touched it,” Goodman said. “So I opened it, and my necklace was missing.”
Goodman’s necklace wasn’t the only thing missing as family gifts, a watch and other valuables from the house totaling more than $1,000 were stolen.
This robbery is part of a worrying uptick in Syracuse property crime, including a slew of crimes in the University Neighborhood that have put students in a state of unease.
Despite the issues with crime in the area, Goodman said there may have been another reason as to why her house was robbed.
A series of unfortunate events
The events started on the evening of Sept. 6, when Goodman received an urgent phone call from her roommate that a fire had broken out in their house.
Though the fire was mostly contained in one room, the smoke and soot resulted in the home being temporarily unlivable. Goodman and her roommates made plans to stay the night at friends’ houses with the goal of tackling the issue the next day.
The following day was hectic for Goodman as she organized ways to repair the house and get things in working order. In the late evening, Goodman received a text from a concerned friend who found that LocalSYR.com, the website for News Channel 9, had covered the story.
This original, short news article disclosed two key aspects: the exact address of the house, and the fact that all residents were now temporarily staying with friends.
What had already been a rough week for Goodman and her roommates turned into a nightmare when they returned to the house on the morning of Sept. 8. Goodman discovered that valuables were missing and that someone had clearly been in the house while she was gone.
A more extensive search uncovered that one of the basement windows had been kicked in, with police suspecting that this was the thief’s point of entry. Chillingly, Goodman had even caught the suspected criminal loitering at the front door on her Ring Camera.
While she awaited an update from Syracuse Police on her case, Goodman said the LocalSYR.com article she had seen the night before was equally concerning.
“I thought it was ridiculous that they had posted our explicit address and had said that all of us were displaced,” Goodman said. “This was such an easy giveaway. Too easy. It just felt really violating.”
Goodman called LocalSYR.com to ask about the address being included in the article, which seemed to prompt the article to be revised to omit the specific location.
A case study in journalism ethics
LocalSYR.com digital content manager Dave Longley said the information in the article was obtained through a Syracuse Fire Department press release, however, the outlet has since modified its approach to coverage of incidents. This, he believes, will ensure that this mishap is never repeated.
“We have adjusted our policy to not put the specific address or house number, but just to mention that the street or block that the incident may have occurred on,” Longley said. “We updated the article to keep the story as timely and accurate as possible.”
Newhouse School Prof. Roy Gutterman, who teaches communications law courses, said he doesn’t see legal recourse for Goodman and her roommates because the information was accurate and acquired through official sources.
Alex Dunbar, a journalist and adjunct Newhouse School professor focused on journalism ethics, said the incident is interesting because it’s a conflict between two of journalism’s core principles.
“On one level, the story has got to be truthful, and make sure you’re providing accurate information,” Dunbar said. “Part of the accurate information would be, where did a fire happen.
“At the same time, there is the other tenet of to not do any harm.”
Goodman said she and her roommates are even more vigilant now about locking doors and double-checking, especially at night.
Longley said that as a community news source, LocalSYR.com’s goal is not to cause harm and that he didn’t expect this article would be any different than the hundreds of house fires previously reported.
“I surely think there is a bit of coincidence in here,” Longley said. “As we mentioned, we are moving forward in a different way.”
