On Thursday’s edition of The Reveille, we used a photo that depicted a group of female African-American students attending an on-campus event with the headline “Rowdy Reputation: University struggles with image; continues to rank among nation’s top party schools.”
Since Thursday, I have received multiple phone calls and emails regarding the messaging of this image. It was not the intention of The Reveille to associate the University’s party image with the African-American community on campus, but we recognize our error. As editor-in-chief, I would like to sincerely apologize to any individual who found the photo offensive.
The Reveille is dedicated to inclusivity, and will take a comprehensive look at our production process to help prevent a similar error from occurring in the future. Additionally on Thursday, I spoke to LSU Vice Provost for Diversity Dereck Rovaris Sr. about the future diversity training for The Reveille staff.
I have prided myself and my staff on The Reveille’s ability to cover social issues on campus. To this point in the semester, we have done that, from our leading coverage of the racial slurs in the student section to our digital team’s timeline of reported racist events at LSU since 1961. Our mistake made in Thursday’s newspaper has been taken very seriously by The Reveille management staff and myself. In good conscience, I felt that I must apologize for the error.
The Reveille is work done by students for students. We will continue to cover social issues on campus closely, and spotlight injustices felt within the LSU student body. I want to thank all those who reached out to The Reveille regarding the cover photo and I welcome every conversation I have with a Reveille reader. Together, we can work to make The Reveille’s coverage whole and create a more inclusive University, both inside our newsroom and across the campus.
*The photo attached to this story is not the photo that was used on the cover of Thursday’s print edition.