You may have seen news coverage of the March 25 disappearance of John Fiocco,Jr., a freshman art major at The College of New Jersey. While police say that the investigation is still a missing persons case, the discovery of Fiocco's blood in a dumpster outside of his dormitory last week has led them to focus their search on two Pennsylvania landfills where The College's refuse is hauled. A $7,000 award is being offered for information in the case:

Crimestoppers has announced that the reward for information leading to the resolution of the investigation of John Fiocco Jr.'s disappearance has been increased to $7,000.

Two 24-hour, seven-day-a-week ANONYMOUS tip lines have been established for anyone with information concerning John's disappearance or help locating him. They are through the New Jersey State Police at 877-748-6577 and The College of New Jersey at 609-538-8180. We have also established an e-mail address through which information can be shared: crimestoppers@tcnj.edu.

Here's what the student editors of The Signal, the student newspaper of The College of New Jersey had to say about their experience of covering and being covered in this terrible story:

Our staff is comprised mostly of journalism students; we have been taught to believe in the nobler merits of the profession, the unflagging pursuit of truth. For the reporters who have haunted this campus since the investigation began last week, truth gave way to sensationalism and scandal.

In the end, we found our professional convictions shaken. The reporters we have always admired for their supposed determination in pursuit of the facts have proven themselves nothing more than vultures picking over carrion, with no consideration for the parties who have sincere emotional investment in their stories.

As we have continued to cover the story, we have yet to see the pressing public interest - how does this story affect anyone beyond Fiocco's family and the community bounded by Metzger Drive. Sure, we're all aware of that sick, old journalistic credo "If it bleeds, it leads," but this story quickly became a monster....

The students went on to cite specific examples of distortions, misinterpretations and recklessness on the part of local and national news outlets -- especially Fox's Greta van Susteren and CNN's Nancy Grace. In the end, they said, the examples set by the professional newsgatherers in their midst made them question their own career goals.

From 1993 to fall, 2005, I was the adviser to The Signal. I have been a part of the faculty of TCNJ since 1988 -- as an adjunct until 1990, and as a fulltimer since then. I have refrained from sharing my personal feelings about John Fiocco's disappearance and the ensuing media coverage both out of respect for his family, and out of respect for my fellow members of the TCNJ community. Further, having worked with student journalists as they covered earlier crises and tragedies (including 9/11), I had a pretty good idea of what the students and their adviser, Donna Shaw, were going through. So, I've confined myself to the facts of the case.

Obviously, John Fiocco's disappearance horrifies and saddens me, and that the pain is made all the more acute by the fact that this tragedy befell him when he was in our care. The one additional thing that I will say is that I am exceedingly proud of what's been done by the campus leadership to care for students in the wake of this event, and I have never been more impressed with the student journalists at The Signal than I am right now.

In past events of national interest in which our campus has figured, our students could find some example among the professional journalists in their midst to emulate. I particularly remember the time that Philadelphia Inquirer reporter and feature writer extraordinaire Annette John-Hall gave to the students on The Signal staff as they covered the controversy surrounding the 1994 campus appearance of the late activist Khallid Abdul Muhammad. On that occasion, we had to contend with police gauntlets, Nation of Islam security and activists from the Jewish Defense Organization who'd announced that they would come ready for a fight, among other pressures.

As interns, I've watched my students work alongside the pros to cover tragic events. Three of our students were with the police and in the neighborhood in 1994 when 7-year-old Megan Kanka's body was found in Hamilton, raped and mutilated by a deranged neighbor. In 1998, The Signal's student editor found herself in the middle of the coverage of Melissa Drexler, who murdered the baby she birthed at her high school prom. Most of these students have gone on to outstanding professional careers all over the country, covering even bigger stories -- former Signal editor Kimberly Solet's coverage of Hurricane Katrina is just one example.

This is the first time that I have seen journalism students work on a major story that hit close to home, and found them disillusioned by the profession. The sad irony is that their kind of scrupulousness and dedication is exactly what journalism needs. I hope that the pros, from CNN and Fox on down, will take note of the damage they have done, not only to the Fiocco and TCNJ families, but to the profession itself.

Cross-posted at Professor Kim's News Notes

John Fiocco,journalism