In an era of shrinking amounts of in-depth news, Rocky Mountain PBS is joining forces with I-News, the Rocky Mountain Investigative News Network. This partnership will offer a number of in-depth multimedia reports on a range of critical issues. The first, launching this week, is a report on a matter of public concern: sexual assault on college campuses.
The first report can be read in full here:
"Privacy Laws Prevent Sex Assault Investigations"
Here’s a preview of what you will discover this week only on
RMPBS.org and
iNewsNetwork.org:
- Colleges across Colorado are withholding information about sexual assaults against students, an I-News investigation has found.
- Officials at the University of Colorado now acknowledge a suspected pattern of alleged date-rape drug use at a fraternity in Boulder, but say the law bars them from naming the fraternity to police.
- The issue is more nuanced than first glance might suggest: Advocates say the secrecy is necessary to protect rape victims who wouldn't come forward otherwise. Law enforcement officials say the secrecy may be allowing more people to fall victim.
- This tension is emerging amid major changes in the way colleges in Colorado try to prevent sexual assault, and how they publicly report crime on campus.
- Sexual assault on college campuses matters greatly to the larger community because the effects are long-lasting and costly to society.
I-News was created to help news organizations increase their coverage of critical issues of public importance. We believe this, our first report, details issues of concern to all Coloradans.
I-News is a new nonprofit that produces in-depth journalism for media across the region. It’s also part of the national Investigative News Network, a coalition of some two dozen nonprofit news organizations dedicated to watchdog journalism.
The I-News report is part of a larger package of stories from the national network that examine this topic from many angles in different parts of the country.
So consider this the beginning of a statewide conversation -- and maybe even two. The first, on the issue of sexual assault on college campuses, and what can be done to best protect victims and prosecute offenders. The second, on a new way to get you the in-depth news you want.
And we'll be discussing the report this week on
Colorado State of Mind -- Friday at 7:30pm. Join us!
Stay tuned for much more ahead.
-Laura Frank, director, Rocky Mountain Investigative News Network
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