The first article I decided to read was titled “BPD, SUPD give ‘all clear’ after bomb threat at Sargent Hall”, and was written by Maren Halpin (https://thesuffolkjournal.com/43165/news/bomb-threat-triggers-evacuation-of-sargent-hall/). The article tells about a recent emergency at Suffolk’s law school regarding a bomb threat. The threat turned out to be nothing, but the building was cleared and classes were called off in the building for the day. The article is very short and to the point, giving all relevant times and dates in the lede. A quote is included from the director of media relations, giving credit to the article. Overall, the article does everything it is trying to do, and is very well written.
The second article I decided to read this week is called “OPINION: Suffolk University will not be safe until our officers are armed” and is written by Harry Murphy (https://thesuffolkjournal.com/42980/opinion/opinion-suffolk-university-will-not-be-safe-until-our-officers-are-armed/). Murphy’s opinion piece explains his reasoning behind his belief that the school police force should be armed. Murphy states that in the event of an emergency, the Boston police force may not arrive in time, and attackers are most likely using weapons stronger than the pepper spray that university police officers currently carry. Overall, I was not convinced by the piece, as Murphy gives no examples of times where arming police could be beneficial, not even mentioning the school’s recent bomb threat. In addition, the arguments are quite weak, as the idea that BPD would take a long time to respond is merely an idea with no basis behind it. I did not agree with Murphy, and his ideas were not at all convincing.
