Graduate Student Commits Suicide in Apartment

Glad to see The Hoya putting suicides as main news items with full details and names.

"Young’s family’s contact information could not be ascertained."

Also glad to see the primary concern was getting a quote from the family.

GU notifying people in her community (e.g. GU grad students) is one thing, publishing the details in a public paper is another.

Well done.

I can't tell if the previous comment is sarcastic, but I hope it was.

This article is pointless. It says nothing about depression, or ways to prevent suicide. It says nothing about what GU staff, faculty or fellow students can do if they or someone they know is in crisis.

Yes, my original comment was meant to be very sarcastic.

And good points about mentioning depression and resources as those are the only valid reasons I have ever seen professional journalists mention for publishing suicide details (though most major outlets still avoid these stories except for special circumstances).

Regardless, my sympathies go out to the friends and family of the student and I would hope that if The Hoya feels the need to publish these types of stories that it uses situations like these to educate people rather than have shock headlines.

Mike: The role of a newspaper in society is to inform, which is slightly different than to educate. You cannot fault the paper for fulfilling its mission, which is the inform the Georgetown community of news that is relevant to it. Furthermore, no one said the "primary concern" of the paper was to get a quote from the family. That was only one of numerous concerns regarding something like this. It is the reporter's duty to get all sides of the story, and contacting the family could provide a clearer, fuller picture of why this tragedy occurred. Finally, this article does not have a "shock headline." It is a very straightforward headline that did not even mention the method of suicide. If you want to see shock headlines, pick up the New York Post.
Instead of questioning The Hoya for doing its job, why don't you question the university officials who kept this quiet for over a week?

Glad to see I am not the only one who finds a lot of The Hoya's news to be bland, uninterested, and robotic in nature. Keep complaining though - eventually they'll realize what they are doing is not in the best interest of the students or the paper.

-R

Good point Brian, but we know officials hide information from us - its not like that is a mystery. My argument rests on the fact that The Hoya had the opportunity to wait a few weeks before publishing the information. Usually, you find out everything about a subject before writing about it (or announcing it). I just find that they gave this story no justice in light of the history we have on suicides. I have not seen news of suicides for years but I am sure they occur, they always do.

The piece was especially cold to me since I have actually had a very close friend of mine commit suicide back in high school. The story is always more complicated than the method used to kill one self.

In light of previous articles, I am sure The Hoya will continue to update us with information. To their benefit, they do this well.

-R

I'll say up front that while I believe people do need to be aware of what is happening with public figures (those people have made a choice to live in the public's eye), I am firmly opposed to writing about private tragedies without the explicit endorsement of those involved.

If not, both the University and paper should respect the wishes of those most deeply involved and avoid any details (including names). Knowing the major and nickname of someone involved in a tragedy does not alter the fact a tragedy occurred nor does it provide additonal insight.

Yes, that is not what journalism is about but newspapers do not avoid publishing the names of rape victims out of journalistic standards but out of respect and human decency.

I too have lost a friend to suicide so perhaps being a bit sensitive but I guess my main point is that I still do not understand why this situation was published whereas previous ones were not. If The Hoya's policy on writing about suicides has changed it should also "inform" the public as to that decision and the reasoning behind it (I could be wrong but I do not recall these types of stories in the past nor notifications from the University- if I am wrong then my arguments are moot and I'll be quiet now).

I would like to inform readers that depression is treatable. If you feel depressed or like you might be depressed, Georgetown has counseling services available to its students. You can contact a clinician 24 hours a day at CAPS. My thoughts are of Ms. Kim's family and others affected by this tragedy.