The Impact Of Media On School Culture

The Issue: Thursday panel will bring news outlets together

What we think: Event can be beneficial if conducted properly

This Thursday, the Office of the Dean for Student Development (ODSD) will host a panel discussion titled "The Boston College Enquirer? How Campus Media Affects Campus Culture." Sitting on the panel will be Heights' Editor-in-Chief Alexi Chi, along with Michael Reer, editor-in-chief of The Observer, Ryan McDaid of WZBC radio, and Tom Mulvoy, formerly of The Boston Globe. Faculty representation will be provided by Jon Marcus and Jamel Bell, both professors in the communication department. The discussion, which will take place in Devlin Hall 008 at 7 p.m., will attempt to address the role campus media organizations have in the context of the larger student body. Before this event, we want to broach some issues that we hope will be discussed.

While The Heights is and will remain the "independent student newspaper of Boston College," we are not the explicit mouthpiece of students. The Undergraduate Government of BC, its president, and elected senators fill that role. While we are an organization run by students, we maintain an Opinions section to host the viewpoints of everyone within the BC community, whether they are undergraduates, administrators, faculty, alumni, neighbors, or parents. Consistently championing one set of opinions can only stifle the level of unbiased coverage and moderated discussion we seek to provide. In this sense, we strive for the highest level of journalistic disinterest - the same ideal sought by independent publications worldwide. Indeed, the only thing that distinguishes us from other professional newspapers is the scope of our audience; the same rigorous standards and imperatives apply.

While a large number of Heights readers reside within the confines of Beacon St. and Commonwealth Ave., this does not detract from our level of journalistic independence. It does not relieve us of our duty to provide unbiased information and relevant opinions for the community, even if not all of its members agree with the views expressed within our pages. As we have stated in previous editorials, The Heights is an informative medium that also provides a forum for discussion, observation, and objection. While we comment on issues through editorials, we are not the final arbiter.

Another important aspect of Thursday's panel will be a definition of campus media and the subgroups that exist beneath that umbrella. We acknowledge that The Heights is not alone in providing news to BC students. Other print publications, like The Observer, and now The Gavel, also serve important but different functions for our community. While the two publications cater to niche audiences within the larger community (according to their own mission statements and monikers), this does not mean that they have diminished importance. Additionally, broadcast media groups like WZBC radio provide the important service of direct verbal communication.

However, maintaining a particular ideological bent or calculated audience does not excuse any news outlet from the formalized rules of journalism. We believe that failing to report the news accurately undercuts the mission of any publication, regardless of audience.

These are only some of the topics we hope are addressed at Thursday's event. Anyone interested in these issues should attend the panel and submit questions. We are excited to participate in a productive discussion with the other panelists, and we hope to directly engage with community members.