As this edition of the WW-P News headed off to the printer, our staff had one eye on our news feeds, awaiting word of a verdict in the trial of Dharun Ravi. Commenting on an article about Ravi in the February 17 edition of the News, an online reader took us to task for not continuing our coverage of the trial in subsequent editions:
“When the entire world is being broadcast live the most infamous trial ever to involve a Plainsboro resident and graduate of WW-P schools, why is there ZERO original coverage from the WW-P News? It boggles the mind that all you can do is link to other coverage. Who is paying you off to NOT follow this and provide at least weekly if not daily updates?”
This anonymous online question will get an on-the-record response in print. Says WW-P editor Richard K. Rein: “No one is paying us anything to not cover or to cover the trial. We have declined to divert our resources to cover the trial because it already is being covered well enough and because we think our mission is to keep track of what is happening here in the WW-P community, not at Rutgers. But when we can add some relevant perspective to the outcome of the trial we will.”
And another reader has submitted some thoughtful comments on this sad case:
This tragic story is consuming media space and time and expensive legal resources. But omitted from the coverage I’ve seen is that just before the suicide, Tyler Clementi “came out” to his parents and they were not very accepting.
Why doesn’t anyone point out that parental disapproval could be the trauma that pushed this talented boy over the edge? True, recording with the webcam was unkind, thoughtless, juvenile behavior. But I doubt it had the power to push this boy to his death.
Phyllis Spiegel, Plainsboro
