In defense of the students

By and large, Damascus High School students are not racist, do not destroy property and do not terrorize community members. A spate of recent articles in The Gazette may have led people to believe otherwise.

As one of the many law-abiding DHS students, I am dismayed by the seemingly continuous negative portrayal of Damascus teenagers and the one-sided nature of these articles. A Jan. 30 article ("Student: Attack racially motivated") was widely considered by students to be a slap in the face. Many students at a DHS Racism Speakout in March expressed concern that the article "painted us as a bunch of bigots."

Next, on Feb. 6, it was reported that teenagers vandalized five area schools. On March 26, 42 paragraphs were allotted for an article on skateboarding teenagers destroying property and harassing customers. Finally, an article on April 3 cited "trespassing teens" at the Ridgeview condominiums.

The only exceptions to this rule of negative portrayal that I have witnessed came on March 13, with articles featuring the exceptional DHS debate team and the Leos Club's successful Walk for Kids. Apart from these two instances, Damascus teenagers have been presented as a menace to the community over the course of several months. This is simply inaccurate.

According to what I have been taught in journalism classes, a journalist should strive to present both sides of the story. I have not seen this in any of the four articles listed above. In the skateboarders article, seven community members were allowed comment, yet only one teenager's opinion is expressed -- and this occurs in just one paragraph. In the April 3 article, not one student or school administrator is quoted, or was apparently contacted for comment. The stories leave up in the air the number of students who are involved in these crimes -- a dozen, perhaps, out of nearly 1,900 students?

Any teenager who demonstrates reckless disregard for or trespasses on another person's property should be held accountable and punished, without a doubt. But at the very least, doesn't The Gazette have an obligation to report both sides of the story and make it clear that the vast majority of Damascus High School students are not terrorizing the community?

Brian Stelter, Damascus

The writer is a Damascus High School junior.