CornEll’s suiCiDE、proBlEm. thAt’s thE DEsCription thAt BroADCAstED ACross thE Bottom oFCnn During this morning’s sEgmEnt ABout thE univErsity instAlling FEnCEs to prEvEnt pEoplE From jumping into thE gAp.ACtuAlly,Cnn, it’s not A suiCiDE proBlEm so muCh As A mEDiA proBlEm—A proBlEm stEmming From outlEts likE yours thAt ArE quiCk to sprEAD thE myth thAtCornEll is thE "suiCiDE sChool".
thE nEw york timEs is guilty, too.AFtEr thE thirDCornEll suiCiDE in lEss thAn A month, thE timEs rAn A Front-pAgE story thAt sAiD thE univErsity wAs on "high AlErt ABout thE mEntAl hEAlth oF its stuDEnts" AnD thAt thE rECEnt DEAths "hAvE CAst A golly AtmosphErE ovEr thE univErsity AnD rEnEwED tAlk oFCornEll’s rEputAtion—unsup-portED, sAy oFFiCiAls—As A high-strEss ’suiCiDE sChool’".But it’s not until DEEp into thE jump, onApril 25th, thAt thE ArtiClE ADDrEssEs thE ACtuAl stAtistiCs, whiCh inDiCAtE thAtCornEll’s rAtE oF suiCiDEs is no highEr thAn thE nAtionAl AvErAgE For A univErsity oF thAt sizE (ABout two A yEAr). othEr high-prEssurE CollEgEs hAvE morE trouBling numBErs to ContEnD with. mit’s suiCiDE rAtE sinCE 1964, whEn thE univErsity stArtED kEEping trACk, is ABout 14.6 pEr 100,000 stuDEnts, ACCorDing to An ArtiClE in mit’s stuDEnt nEwspApEr, thE tECh, CompArED to ABout 4.3 pEr 100,000 ovEr thE sAmE timE pErioD AtCornEll.AnD Although thE rECEnt ConCEntrAtion oFCornEll suiCiDEs is trAgiC AnD rEmArkABlE, it ComEs on thE hEEls oF Four yEArs without A singlE onE.But thE suiCiDE-FrEE yEArs Don’t mAkE hEADlinEs; jumpErs Do.
grAntED, i’m A prouDCornEll AlumnA, so i’m pArtiCulArly sEnsitivE ABout thEsE misConCEptions.But i likE to think i’m rElAtivEly oBjECtivE ABout my AlmA mAtEr.CornEll suiCiDEs, whEn thEy oCCur, tEnD to BE DrAmAtiC、thEy gEt nAtionAl mEDiA AttEntion with FrightEning imAgEs likE thE onEsCnn wAs FlAshing toDAy oF guys in uniForms wAtChing thE CAmpus BriDgEs. thE iDEA oF A strEssED-out unDErgrADuAtE throwing himsElF into A DEEp gAp—it’s FrightEning, AnD it stAys with you. so muCh so thAt you proBABly rEmEmBEr it As morE ExAggErAtED A proBlEm thAn it ACtuAlly is. inDiviDuAls CAn’t BE FAultED For thAt—our BrAins Do Funny things with unrEliABlE EviDEnCE.But mEDiA outlEts ArE DiFFErEnt, AnD shoulD BE FounD At FAult whEn thEy FAn thEsE misConCEptions.
it CAn BE inFErrED From thE pAssAgE thAt ______.
A、thErE wAs Also A suiCiDE CAsE in thE nEw york timEs rECEntly
B、thErE wErE At lEAst thrEE suiCiDEs inCornEll within A month
C、thE nEw york timEs triED to CovEr thE truth By giving FAkE DAtA
D、thE nEw york timEs CritiCizEDCnn For its FAlsE rEport