Last Wednesday, the editorial board of the Quinnipiac Chronicle chose to cover a story about the arrest of Ike Azotam and James Johnson, two players on the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team. Despite receiving some scrutiny from the Quinnipiac community, we decided to continue covering this story.

As a college newspaper, our job is to inform the student body about what is happening on campus. Two Quinnipiac students getting arrested more than qualifies as news. If we didn’t report it, other news sources would have ran with it. And they did – the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and The Boston Globe, to name a few.

It’s necessary as journalists to cover the news whether it’s positive or negative. Perhaps these events will inspire students to make changes they see fit in their lives.

The fact that the two men who got arrested are basketball players only makes a big story even bigger. When the Chronicle gets word of an arrest on campus, it’s almost always front page news. When the arrests are of high-profiled students, it warrants even more exposure.

This is why prominent figures such as celebrities are featured in the news all the time. Azotam or Johnson are not celebrities, but they are more than just an average student when it comes to news coverage. This is also why the Chronicle felt it was necessary to include their headshots.

Last year when students were arrested for fake IDs, the Chronicle reported it. When students were arrested for possession of drugs, we reported it. The police were involved in the incidents that took place two weekends ago, and that’s how the Chronicle is able to obtain information.

The university has not, and is not required by law, to disclose any information regarding disciplinary action on students. The Chronicle is still investigating the incident and will report any information as soon as it is verified.