Executive Committee Ruling on the Trident Case Heard by the Media Board
The Case
The Trident recently published an article, “The Bracket,” that offended many members of the W&L community. Many students, faculty, and University officials called for the resignation of the editors and writers of the article, and for the Trident to issue a public apology.
Several students and faculty lodged a formal complaint against the Trident, as a publication, with the Media Board, an organization made up of representatives from all student media outlets. The Media Board is empowered to hear complaints filed against its members and to recommend sanctions for the Executive Committee to impose. The Media Board held a meeting where representatives of the complainants explained their grievances and asked the Media Board to sanction the Trident in some way.
The Media Board recognized that the Trident editor responsible for publishing the article published an apology which acknowledged that an error in judgment was made. The editor told the Media Board that the Trident will work to ensure a similar incident does not occur in the future.
The Media Board unanimously recommended that the Executive Committee maintain the Trident’s links to the University, so that the Trident remains accountable to the Media Board. Additionally, the Media Board unanimously recommended that the Trident, and all media outlets, develop a mission statement and a journalism code of ethics that they will adhere to in the future. The Media Board noted that it is the responsibility of each editor to ensure that their staff members understand these ethical standards.
The Ruling
The Executive Committee instructs the Trident to develop a journalism code of ethics under the guidance and supervision of the Media Board, to be completed by Friday, April 25, 2008. The Executive Committee further instructs the Trident editorial board to include the Trident staff writers as participants in the drafting of the code, and to ensure that all editors and writers understand and live up to the code of ethics.
The Executive Committee commends the Media Board’s plans to urge all media organizations to develop mission statements and codes of ethics and to continue the current campus discussion of the role of student media at W&L. As the Media Board observed, the editors and writers of all student publications must understand that their words and deeds are a direct reflection on the W&L community as a whole.
This case involves a complaint against a publication. Complaints against individuals should be directed to the Student Judicial Council or the Student Faculty Hearing Board.