2005-2006 has been a year filled with controversy and significant changes to life at Lawrence. In particular, the campus has recently faced new security and student welfare issues. In the wake of these newsworthy events, doubts have been expressed and questions have been raised regarding ethical journalism and the function of Lawrence’s student newspaper.
First, all students and faculty members are encouraged to inform The Lawrentian of any potentially newsworthy stories that would be of interest to the student body. The newspaper is a forum for the entire campus, not just an elite group of decision makers. We want to know what interests and concerns you, and we will investigate and accurately report on these matters to the best of our ability.
Of course, in order to guarantee accuracy in reporting, we need the help of Lawrence’s students and administration. Writers have recently struggled to get important information from members of the administration; therefore, stories lacked perspective and detail and were subject to criticism.
Reporters are encouraged to contact as many sources as possible to verify information and to gain multiple points of view. If a source is not reachable or does not cooperate, accuracy will suffer. If sources are willing to give information, The Lawrentian will help them to have their side of an issue recognized.
As Lawrence does not have a journalism department, The Lawrentian has relied on student interest in reporting and editing to fill its staff. We work with staff members of the Appleton Post-Crescent who help us to train writers and address ethical issues.
We are always looking for people who are willing to contribute and who want to continue to make a better student newspaper at Lawrence. If you are interested in helping us next year, please contact lawrentian@lawrence.edu.
Staff Editorial
