The Battalion is the student voice on campus, serving as a means of outreach and information for all concerned. The staff strives to uphold not only the traditions of this school, but the ethical foundations upon which the institution of journalism was created. In doing so, we can say we try to represent a fair, ethical approach with every article we print.
One of the features of ethical journalism is fair representation. No matter how controversial the topic, both sides must be given a chance to defend themselves. It’s important to get facts validated by quotes.
It’s easy to forget these mandates in the heat of a potentially cataclysmic story. Though the journalism field is founded upon getting news to the reader in the quickest possible way, it should not come at the price of failing to tell all sides of a story. Even worse, the legitimacy of a paper is destroyed when no effort is made to contact one side of a story and any claim to accuracy is whimsically cast aside for the sake of sensationalism. If a publication doesn’t seek to cover news from every angle and perspective with the thoroughness it deserves, it shouldn’t be called a newspaper.
All of this comes to the front this week because of an article circulating about Texas A&M President Elsa Murano’s hiring process of Vice President of Student Affairs, Gen. Joe Weber. The report took unconfirmed information from an anonymous source and printed it as news.
The University does a good job of making itself available for information seekers or students. During the Student Senate meeting Wednesday, Murano was present and willing to address issues concerning students. Despite this opportunity to gather quotes, her side of the story wasn’t reported. According to Jason Cook, vice president for marketing and communications for A&M, no attempts were made to contact the president’s office.
It is important to note the difference between campus news sources as well. The Battalion is not, nor has it ever been, affiliated with The Anthem. All problems with Anthem content should be addressed to their editor-in-chief.