We never intended for the recent news of a student’s death to make it into the opinion pages of this newspaper. While the information was disseminated quite responsibly by the news section — including details about the spread of H1N1 and how the virus may have lead to the student’s untimely death — we felt that any commentary should have been left to those who knew him.

But a recent post on the IvyGate blog has prompted us to do otherwise. On Sept. 11, Adam Clark Estes, the editor of the popular blog that satirizes snippets of news from across the Ivy League, posted a tasteless piece entitled “Cornell Junior Dies of Swine Flu, Administration Blames Beer Pong.” There is nothing funny about the death of a 20-year-old, and Estes, a former editor of The Harvard Crimson and current editor at The Huffington Post, should know better.

The post was an offensive and heartless exploitation of the news and a far cry from anything a journalist would consider responsible reporting. After a barrage of the blog’s readers described the post as “repulsive” and called for the resignation of its author, IvyGate followed-up with a less-than-adequate rebuttal.

Admitting that most of the post had been written prior to the student’s death, IvyGate unjustly directed blame at the Cornell administration. “No element of this post mocks the deceased or those grieving — in fact, any humor is directed at the administration and their lack of response that precluded the student’s death.” This was yet another far cry from the truth that could have been averted with a responsible level of research.

Over the past few weeks, we young journalists have had a crash course in the ins and outs of medical reporting. As we have chronicled the spread of H1N1 at Cornell, we’ve quickly figured out how critical word choice is when it comes to defining things like the symptoms of a highly contagious and much-feared virus. We know that we are truly providing a public service to the community, and that any manipulation of the truth could spread panic. As a result, we have worked closely with Gannett Health Services to ensure that every morning we are providing the most accurate news and up-to-the-minute advisories.

The Cornell administration has been nothing but helpful in dealing with the crisis. Health officials have been quick to call us out when it is clear we are not as well-versed in the rhetoric of medicine as we should be, and the lines for dialogue between us and them have remained open.

When it comes to reporting on something as consequential as a pandemic, it is crucial that all facts are conveyed in the clearest most accurate manner. It is disappointing to see a site so widely read in the community misconstrue information in such a way that was offensive and harmful to the community at large.

— E.C.