As most Towson students and many others already know, a 44-year-old graduate student died Monday morning after falling from the Glen Garage. It appeared to be, but has not yet been ruled, a suicide. However, this story from The Towerlight has ruffled some feathers among readers, mostly because of the photographs that were chosen to appear as expandable thumbnails alongside the story. The comment section contains mixed reactions to the coverage, with some readers demanding the photos be removed.
“It added an important visual element to the story,” editor in chief Daniel Gross said. “We had a number of other photos that we chose to hold.”
One anonymous source, echoing many others, wrote: “I understand the importance of keeping the rest of campus in the know whether it’s via news articles or photographs from a given scene. but WHY a bloody picture?”
Photographer Christopher Curry, who was at the scene for The Towerlight and took many of the photos used for the online story, said there was really nothing wrong with what the paper did.
“It’s perfectly legal to take the pictures,” Curry said.
Gross said that students should be aware that a story like that could present some graphic images, but that it’s up to them to decide if they want that experience.
“It’s kind of their choice whether or not they want to see it,” Gross said.
