In celebration of Sunshine Week, New Mexico State University will host a panel discussion on crime reporting. The event will be held on the first-floor atrium of Branson Library, from 4 to 5 p.m. March 23. The event is free and open to the public.
Sunshine Week is a national initiative that serves to educate the public on the importance of having an open government, and the harm that unnecessary secrecy can bring to the public. Sunshine Week is held each March and usually coincides with Freedom of Information Day, March 16. However, due to NMSU’s spring break this week, the event will be held March 23 to allow students to participate.
The event will focus on crime reporting in the Las Cruces region and is sponsored by the Department of Journalism and Media Studies and the NMSU Library. There will be four panelists: Joshua Bowling, Searchlight New Mexico’s criminal justice reporter; Justin Garcia, Las Cruces Sun-News breaking news, courts and crime reporter; Robert Moore, CEO of El Paso Matters; and Dan Trujillo, Las Cruces public information officer.
Dylan McDonald, NMSU political collections archivist and special collections librarian, explained that the panel of journalists and public information officers will discuss the roles they play in reporting crime to the public. They will also discuss how their relationships with one another can be strained at times when it comes to reporting crime, especially with high-profile cases. A question-and-answer session will follow the discussion.
“The NMSU organizing committee hopes to create an event that will educate attendees on why the freedom of information and access to public records is so crucial to a truly representative government,” McDonald said. “Without access to vital information, the public is severely restricted in its civic abilities and often left in the dark, without answers.”
McDonald discussed that openness, accountability and information sharing from those who represent the public is crucial to all communities and society.
“We hope attendees will better understand how any assessment of crime in our community is only as accurate as the information responsibly made available to the public,” he said.
For more information visit https://nmsu.libguides.com/asc/openstacks/posts/2023-Sunshine-Week-Event or contact McDonald at dylanmcd@nmsu.edu.