Crimson Made Journalistic Error

When The Harvard Crimson received the picture of the late Sinedu Tadesse along with the message, "Keep this picture. There will soon be a very juicy story about her," the paper made a grave journalistic error. It did not investigate. And, although it may be true that one never knows if anonymous tips are bogus or legitimate, some of the most exciting and important news stories have depended upon such tips, e.g. those provided by Deep Throat in Watergate.

If The Crimson had followed up on this tip, which also was, it seems, as cry for help, two lives may have been saved, or, at the very least, we probably would understand why this murder-suicide happened. I hope that not only The Crimson but all prospective journalists will learn from this terrible tragedy, so that no news tip should ever be ignored. Sandra Foster   Cambridge, MA