Spring Break
Editorial: Playboy presence spurs response
The Reflector Editorial Board
Issue date: 3/23/07 Section: Opinion
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Foglesong continues by saying that he spent 33 years defending the right to "speak freely in a free society," and that he "would be disappointed if this great university did not stand on those principles."
We commend him for making these statements, and we're pleased to know that he stands so firmly by such an important aspect of our society.
The last part of his statement reads: "We believe student editors always have the responsibility to use good judgment that serves the student body and the institution. We also would hope that they continually exercise maturity and their best judgment consistent with their editorial and news responsibilities."
We do not know whether the president was saying he agreed or disagreed with our coverage by this statement, which is OK either way, but we do feel he makes a valid point, which opens up a chance for us to elaborate on the subject.
We covered the Playboy shoot because we felt it was a relevant issue to students, faculty, alumni and all parties involved with the university and the Starkville community. In the story, we explicitly noted that the Playboy event was confined to the city and that the university as an institution was not involved. Though the university as an institution was not involved, it still affected the university community. In that sense, it is our responsibility as journalists to report the story.
Our coverage included several key angles: viewpoints from students, faculty, the administration, the Starkville religious community and Playboy representatives. In doing so, we feel the story was reported in a mature, objective and responsible manner.
These are the principles The Reflector always strives to follow regarding its news content. By standing by these principles, we have earned the honor of being officially named the No. 1 college newspaper in the South by the Southeast Journalism Conference. We stand by our story because we feel we presented it in an honest and fair manner, which is ideal in being a credible news source.
What still leaves us scratching our heads, though, is that the media purportedly sent inquiries to the president's office but not to The Reflector. Other student media did contact The Reflector, though. It should be common knowledge, at least to the professional media, that editorial content in student newspapers is dictated solely by student editors at public universities. If they did have this knowledge, they should strive to get all sides of the story.
We commend him for making these statements, and we're pleased to know that he stands so firmly by such an important aspect of our society.
The last part of his statement reads: "We believe student editors always have the responsibility to use good judgment that serves the student body and the institution. We also would hope that they continually exercise maturity and their best judgment consistent with their editorial and news responsibilities."
We do not know whether the president was saying he agreed or disagreed with our coverage by this statement, which is OK either way, but we do feel he makes a valid point, which opens up a chance for us to elaborate on the subject.
We covered the Playboy shoot because we felt it was a relevant issue to students, faculty, alumni and all parties involved with the university and the Starkville community. In the story, we explicitly noted that the Playboy event was confined to the city and that the university as an institution was not involved. Though the university as an institution was not involved, it still affected the university community. In that sense, it is our responsibility as journalists to report the story.
Our coverage included several key angles: viewpoints from students, faculty, the administration, the Starkville religious community and Playboy representatives. In doing so, we feel the story was reported in a mature, objective and responsible manner.
These are the principles The Reflector always strives to follow regarding its news content. By standing by these principles, we have earned the honor of being officially named the No. 1 college newspaper in the South by the Southeast Journalism Conference. We stand by our story because we feel we presented it in an honest and fair manner, which is ideal in being a credible news source.
What still leaves us scratching our heads, though, is that the media purportedly sent inquiries to the president's office but not to The Reflector. Other student media did contact The Reflector, though. It should be common knowledge, at least to the professional media, that editorial content in student newspapers is dictated solely by student editors at public universities. If they did have this knowledge, they should strive to get all sides of the story.
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