Letter to the Editor: Why must we be so politically correct?

This question plagues my mind almost every time I sit down to write an article for The Campus. This past week I went to one of The Campus’ editors with a story. A good story… at least I thought so. The story was interesting and thought provoking; it was a story that had depth and that asked questions. The story I wanted to write was one of hazing — always an interesting topic for the Middlebury student body because of the sheer number of student-athletes on campus. Many Middlebury students already know that the women’s swimming and diving team’s season was recently suspended due to “hazing” traditions that became known to coaches and athletic staff. I would rather not get into the specifics of the story, but would instead like to comment on the simple fact that my editor came back to me with a big, fat “No.” Apparently, her superiors thought it wouldn’t be such a good idea to write about this controversial breaking news. Please remind me, Middlebury Campus, what is our role as journalists?

My understanding of the role of journalists is to write the truth — clean and simple. The people of this world and, on a smaller level, the people of this campus, want to hear about what’s going on around them and how they are affected. Isn’t that a role of the media — to give their constituents and readers the facts? According to www.journalism.org, the purpose of journalism is “to provide citizens with accurate and reliable information they need to function in a free society.” My question for The Campus is this: are we giving our students the truth by omitting certain facts, by not covering certain controversial issues? I know that, as a College, we have to please a lot of people. We have to be what’s called “politically correct.” But, why, as a newspaper or information outlet, which is simply supposed to state the facts, must we also try to please, or in the case of a subject that may not cast the greatest light upon Middlebury, to push certain issues under the rug?

If I asked a random sampling of five people on this campus, I am confident that at least three of them would want to hear about the women’s swimming and diving team’s suspension. It’s not the most glamorous story for Middlebury by any means, but it is news, and therefore it is our job as a newspaper to cover it. We don’t always have to be proud of some of the things that happen on our campus. Why should we? Wouldn’t this have been a great opportunity to explore the negative impact of hazing, not only on individual athletes or students but an entire team? While it is ideal to always be churning out stories of how wonderful and bright our students are, it’s not always true. It’s just not the real world! If the truth is what the campus wants — what it prides itself in — then I question whether the overseers of this publication are doing their job.

I’m only bringing this up because it’s not the first time this has happened this year. When I speak about The Campus, I’m including myself. I write for The Campus and I think it’s a wonderful student-run organization. I also think it’s always good, however, to question what we’re doing and what are the true goals of the publication as well as those of us that write and work on The Campus. Political correctness is everywhere in this world. But where is the line drawn? As prospective journalists, we’re not trying to praise or hurt anyone — we’re simply trying to provide our students and the Middlebury community with accurate information on stories and issues that may affect them now and in the future.