How does journalism examine itself? How does an organization tasked with dispassionately relaying the world analyze its own shortcomings and oversights? How have I already broken a cardinal style rule by asking three rhetorical questions?
My name is Jeremy White, and I am Tufts' new (read: first) public editor. I will work in this role to critique campus publications and to address the concerns of readers. My columns could criticize a certain publication's decision, laud it or merely defend their right to make such a decision. Whatever the content of my pieces, I will hold myself to the same rules of accuracy and fairness that govern sound journalistic practice.
I would like to emphasize that I am not working for a single publication, nor am I writing at the behest of the Media Advocacy Board or the Tufts Community Union Senate (although the latter two are responsible for creating the Public Editor position). I am an independent voice, and as such I will offer what I believe to be balanced analysis, free from personal biases and stylistic preferences.
Journalism is not a science, and the process of putting out a newspaper, magazine or a literary journal requires many omissions and prioritizations of value. These decisions are often unpopular, and factual errors frequently occur. But every article, every headline and every photo caption ends up on the page for a reason, and I will try to elucidate the motivations and necessities that translate a news meeting into a newspaper, a conversation into an editorial.
Newspapers and magazines are meant for consumption, and the sheer number of people who (one hopes) are reading campus publications generates a great range of opinions and reactions. Some of the criticisms that campus publications face are valid and balanced, some are polemical and some are just plain misinformed. I will treat them all in this column, hoping to put what happens on the front page of student media in the broader context of the obligations and processes that govern their creation.
Tufts' media landscape is staggeringly varied, given the size of our school. It is divided by form, content and target audience. We have a humor magazine, a daily newspaper, a weekly news magazine, several literary journals and political publications that mirror the full extent of the ideological spectrum. There is a wealth of material available to students, and I will treat anything that is of concern to students, administrators or arbiters of journalistic ethics.
No matter which publication you choose to read, they all play a part in magnifying the issues and events of importance to Tufts students. But there is no such thing as complete objectivity, so each publication ultimately offers a unique interpretation — the lens through which an editorial board views the world. Trying to place campus media in this context and explain the various approaches they take to encapsulating life as a Tufts student, will hopefully help students reading my column understand the incredibly complex and dynamic process of reporting the news.
This is a tumultuous time for the news business. "Innovate or die" seems to be the maxim, as true for journalists as it is for Detroit auto executives whose industry is collapsing around them. Campus publications are relatively shielded from the exigencies of declining circulation and ad revenue, but the growth of new media — particularly Web sites and blogs — shows they are in touch with the spirit of the times. The advent of online journalism presents opportunities and pitfalls perhaps in equal measure and is already changing the way we produce and consume news.
The difficulty in my job is that I have deliberately removed myself from the masthead of The Tufts Daily, for which I used to cover news. Simultaneously serving as the public editor for all campus media and writing for a specific campus publication represented an untenable conflict of interest, so I have bid farewell to the Daily (we had some good times). I am now in the same position as any student who picks up something to read before class starts: on the outside looking in, not part of the process that puts that newspaper or magazine or journal in your hands.
This is where you come in. If you have a specific complaint about an article, a headline or an editorial, let me know. If you don't like the way a certain publication operates, let me know. If you want to go on a general rant about Tufts media, let me know. I am here not only to offer my own critiques and insights but also to serve as a liaison between the student body and campus media. I know that every Tufts publication is constantly striving to be better, more responsive and more accurate. Let's help them out.
