No, It’s Not OK to Chase Reporters Down the Street with a Machette

Was that headline a joke in poor taste? Hardly; CUNY Hunter College adjunct professor Shellyne Rodriguez did just as the headline describes to an unnamed NY Post reporter.

Yes; you read that right. The adjunct instructor not only held a blade to the reporter’s neck, but chased him down the street while brandishing a machete.

Oh, and, Professor Rodriguez also threatened to “chop up” the reporter, described by the Post as a “veteran Postie.”

According to the Post, Vince Dimiceli, a school spokesman, communicated to their News Service that, “…Hunter College strongly condemns the unacceptable actions of Shellyne Rodriguez and has taken immediate action,…Rodriguez has been relieved of her duties at Hunter College effective immediately, and will not be returning to teach at the school.”

It’s very sad that this happened. It might have been true that Shellyne Rodriguez was on her way to becoming a famed, tenured full professor, but now, that is hardly possible, given her rash actions.

Members of the Press should be protected, and that includes by our own citizenry.

Really, Professor Rodriguez should have used the opportunity to state her case. Or, at the very least, politely demand that the reporter leave.

Of course, this should not affect your opinion of Hunter College, CUNY, or art instructors.

It’s not even funny; clearly the professor had some issues that she probably would have benefited from sharing via acceptable channels, like a class or workshop or club at Hunter, or an Instagram account, WordPress blog, or anything really, rather than letting (quiet possibly) legitimate rage gleaned from her own sense of justice and what is “right” manifest in blind physical rage and potential near-fatal violence. What makes this woman feel this way?

The media is her friend, and a friend to us all, whether Professor Rodriguez knows this or not.

A truly free society has freely operating news services, like the New York Post, founded all the way in our nation’s dawn by Alexander Hamilton.

Reporters document events and stories in time, and helps establish a culture that remembers.

Now, Adjunct Professor Rodriguez is going to be remembered as a violent person who was ineffective, and gave in to her base emotions of hatred and rage. And, ironically,  it’s going to be an ugly account, told by the very news service that was disrespected, The NY Post, and other news services as their proxy. We aren’t going to forget, and neither should you, dear reader.

Reporters report. And, so, this is serious. Mr. Jesse Angelo, publisher and CEO of the New York Post, surely cares about the welfare of his reporters; they are the center of any vital news provider.

And, here at the Staten Islander News Service, of course we feel the same way. Our reporters’ safety is foremost.

Of course, the task of reporting, photojournalism, and interviewing carries risks. However, a person teaching at our public city university, one of the best systems in the world, should have availed herself of the opportunity to receive free talk therapy sessions at her place of work, or perhaps turned her inner angst into art?

The machete thing, it’s not performance art. It’s not funny; it’s not cute. It’s not communicating anything but wrong messages. And, it’s certainly not what we want our world to look like; reporters shouldn’t have to fear college professors wielding machetes.

News reporters, historically, have placed themselves in hazard’s way. That is part of the job, and perhaps some reporters even thrive on this, when reporting in parts of the world where uncertainty reigns.

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But really, all the people of our country, especially our institutions of higher learning like the City University of New York, should have an appreciation that news reporters perform a vital function in society.

And, yes, every publication has its slant. We are billed as the No-slant News™, and we really abide by that. However, there are all sorts of biases in all of us, cognitive biases, really, not necessarily any sort of personal or racial or discriminative biases. However, we do our best to present all views, when it comes to editorials. And, when it concerns news, we try to present facts. If ever we fail in this, please let us know.

And, remember, news reporters are here for the common good. Any way you look at it, we all benefit from their presence on the scene.

The people of our city need to step up and distance themselves from this sort of thuggish behavior; New Yorkers, we need you all to remember that news reporters help you get funding for your communities, and they give YOU a voice.

So, when you see a reporter, remember that they are peole, just like you, and perform a vital service necessary to the functioning of a society where different voices and perspectives can all coexist in the same space, namely real life.

If anything, stand up and stand behind a reporter, given the chance. Get their backs. Let them know that you value news reporting, whether you agree with the percieved slant of the news organization they belong to, or not.

(Many news orgs are definitely NOT no-slant news, but they are news outles, nevertheless, and are worthy of respect!)

Don’t let other people push reporters around. It’s wrong on so many levels. Imagine a world where we didn’t have news reporting?

We, the Editorial Board at the Staten Islander News Organization, are quite thankful that there are many other news services to fill the gaps in our reporting.

All these different voices provide perspective, and lend a more holistic picture to the world and our news, when considered together.

Banner Image: NY Post reporter threatened with machete.  Image Credit – NY Post

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