ARLINGTON, Va. — Journalists who cover crime on campushave a new resource to help with their efforts.
The Student Press Law Center will release today the third editionof its popular publication, "Covering Campus Crime."The 52-page booklet provides a detailed description of the campuscrime information student journalists have a legal right to, includinga step-by-step guide for obtaining crime records.
The publication has sections that describe how students canget access to three different kinds of campus crime information:police or security department logs, campus crime statistics anddisciplinary proceedings involving criminal behavior. The bookletincorporates regulations regarding federal crime reporting lawsissued by the U.S. Department of Education this summer and includesan appendix with citations to statutes and resources related tocampus crime reporting.
"Covering Campus Crime, Third Edition" will be releasedat the Society of Professional Journalists’ national conventionin Columbus, Ohio. The publication was supported by a grant fromthe Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, the educational arm of the Society.
College journalists can obtain a free copy of "CoveringCampus Crime" by sending $2 for shipping to the Student PressLaw Center. Copies of the booklet can also be downloaded forfree from the Student Press Law Center’s Web site at: http://www.splc.org/resources/ccc/cccindex.html.
Mark Goodman, Executive Director
Student Press Law Center
(703) 807-1904