In the past few weeks some of the news reported in The Reveille has caused much debate among the student population about our goal as a newspaper.
Most of the people working here are mass communication majors, and every day we sit in classes, learning about how a media organization is supposed to act, what our rights are as reporters as well as the rights of the general public.
We also know, as journalists, the standards this newspaper must uphold to continue its mission.
We don’t expect a biological sciences or an engineering major to fully understand the principles we adhere to at The Reveille. But we do expect members of the community to understand their rights as private citizens, public figures and students of this University.
The Reveille is not just a student newspaper. We hold our writers to the highest standards. We are a member of the Associated Press and in 2003 we won a Pacemaker Award, similar to the Pulitzer Prize for a college newspaper.
As a civic newspaper, part of our job is to incite debate and discussion within the community that we serve — this campus. We recognize our role as a vital part of that community as well as a servant to that community’s interests and needs.
As journalists, we have an obligation to develop a strong relationship with student organizations and the students as a whole.
In the same breath, it is The Reveille’s responsibility to report the news that affects students and the members of our community.
Granted, it’s not always going to be pretty. This University is not free of controversy, both in the ranks of students and its faculty.
Although we are the University’s only official, student-supported newspaper, the administration does not control our coverage or the issues we confront.
If you look below this editorial, you will see in bold letters The Reveille’s mission statement, which includes, among other things, our promise to the students.
“Our goal is to cover this community in all its wholeness and complexity,” the statement reads. “We work to get the community the news it needs and wants in a timely and unbiased manner.”
When something happens that we deem newsworthy, or events happen that students have a right to know about, we will do everything within our power to inform them. That is our job.
Like every other student organization on campus, we have an adviser who gives us advice and suggestions when needed, but every aspect of the paper printed each day is solely decided upon by the staff.
Ultimately, we control what goes in to the newspaper and what does not.
The Reveille is a learning environment, and although we try to maintain a level of professionalism in our newspaper, we are all students and still learning about this field. No one here is perfect; we do make mistakes.
This week, an error was made in a photo caption which offended some people at the University.
When we do make mistakes, we make every effort to correct them in the quickest way possible, as we did in this case.
Unless otherwise acknowledged by a correction or a retraction, we stand behind every word printed in this newspaper.
If you have any questions or comments about our news coverage, feel free to e-mail the editor at [email protected], write a letter to the editor to [email protected] or come visit us in the basement of Hodges Hall.