The Brown Daily Herald prides itself on the fact that it is an "independent" daily newspaper - independent of the school and able to report freely. It is not, however, independent of the natural tendency toward occasional bias. The Brown Daily Herald should have an ombudsman to provide recourse for readers who feel that coverage is biased and to attenuate the effects of accidental bias.
Across the country, newspapers employ ombudsmen to investigate and report on complaints. Many national newspapers employ ombudsmen -the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune have them, and the New York Times has a "Public Editor" which serves the same purpose. Several campus daily newspapers, such as the University of Maryland Diamondback and the University of Virginia's Cavalier Daily, have followed this national trend and have ombudsmen on staff.
To assert The Herald's complete objectivity would be naive. National papers, staffed by professional journalists, admit the possibility and inevitability of bias and employ ombudsmen to mitigate its effects. The Herald, as a campus newspaper, is staffed by unpaid volunteers, who have to juggle putting out a newspaper with classes, other extra curricular activities and all the stresses of college life. In this context, occasional accidental bias as a result of an oversight is inevitable.
Presently, Herald readers have few and ineffective means to respond to coverage they believe to be unfair. They can't start reading a different daily; The Herald is the only daily news source that discusses issues of interest for the campus community, Morning Mail not withstanding.
Those offended by Herald coverage can refuse to deal with it, like Nick Hartigan was reported to do last semester following coverage he apparently considered unfair regarding contributions to Jennifer Lawless' ill-conceived race for Congress. The rift between The Herald and Hartigan, Brown's star running back during one of the best seasons in Brown football history, was certainly unfortunate. Instead of reading interviews in The Herald, students had to turn to the Providence Journal or even ESPN's Cold Pizza to find interviews with their classmate.
Instead of silence, those upset with bias currently may write a letter to the editor with a complaint. Such letters are usually printed by The Herald, but this method of response is inadequate. It lacks an objective review of the accusation, and usually even a response from the editors, offering an explanation of the incident. An ombudsman could read the letter, investigate its claims and report to the community by writing a weekly article explaining more egregious incidents.
An ombudsman would not only be an asset to readers; it would lend greater legitimacy to The Herald. By having someone dedicated to ensuring objectivity, even if it led to no change in the actual coverage of The Herald, an ombudsman would make The Herald seem more unbiased. In addition to creating an appearance of objectivity, The Herald would look more like its professional counterparts, promoting its credibility.
Such a position would also protect Herald staff. Instead of lengthy Daily Jolt posts about how the editors unfairly changed their opinion pieces, lowly guest columnists could complain to someone, who might well tell them they have nothing about which to complain. For now, Jolters such as Prototoast have to tell complainers that they have no case. The same holds true for those who grumble in other campus publications or simply complain about The Herald's coverage among friends at the Ratty.
The Herald serves a vital role for the campus and the East Side community. We turn to The Herald not just for news but for campus and community politics. For most of us, The Herald is the source for important campus debates, such as Jennifer Lawless's "Thesisgate," Anti-Racist Action's caustic fight for divestment or the Undergraduate Council of Students' protracted keg contro-versy. How these issues are covered on these pages inevitably colors the opinions formed by the readers. It is for this reason that The Herald should lead the way and join the few campus dailies that have appointed ombudsmen in striving to reach a higher level of journalistic integrity and objectivity.
Matthew Lawrence '06 is so objective he knows he'd make a great replacement UCS President.
