Who guards the guards?
Exploitative. Unethical. Irrelevant. Biased. All of these words are emblematic of common criticisms aimed at the media, and sometimes they are all too accurate. Fortunately, most journalists are sharply aware of the ethical burden of doing their work correctly, and vigorously monitor their own behavior.
A relatively new development to assist in this monitoring has been the ombudsman, a person who serves as a sounding board for the concerns of the readership, as well as an independent critic of the paper's reporting and practices.
I am pleased to be joining the staff of The Cavalier Daily as their ombudsman for the 2000-2001 academic year. It is my job to read the paper, to listen to complaints and compliments of readers, and to write a weekly column reporting on the paper's performance over the prior week.
In addition, I will also comment on general journalism practices and standards in the hope that every reader will gather the tools of media criticism for their own use.
It is in my interest to have a vocal and critical set of readers. As ombudsman, I can only do my work well if I have frequent, informed and vigorous feedback from the paper's readers. I encourage all readers to e-mail me over any matter of concern about the paper, no matter how small.
Unlike a letter to the editor, what you write will not be published, so you can be as direct as you need. This includes, of course, not just comments about the paper generally, but also criticism of how well I am doing as ombudsman. Your comments will allow me to present the reader's perspective to the managing board of The Cavalier Daily.
I don't have any editorial power over this paper, and I don't set policy. My role is one of advocacy. If I help bring change, it will be through persuasion and reasoned, principled argument. It will also be in reflecting the feedback of the readers. Fortunately, the Managing Board of the paper takes the function of the ombudsman quite seriously. They want, as I do, for the Cavalier Daily to reflect the very best of journalism and journalistic practices.
Newspapers can serve a critical role in a community. They are a source of detailed information, of perspectives that don't fit in a four-second sound bite. Good journalism provides the average reader with a context for understanding events that television cannot and that radio typically does not.
If my statements about newspapers sound impassioned, it is because they are. A free and independent press is a critical part of a democracy. Newspapers seek and disseminate information. Journalists work to shine a light in places that some would prefer stay unexamined, and bring out facts that others would like to conceal.
Journalists, as the phrase goes, speak truth to power. They can hold powerful government and corporate interests responsible for their actions simply by reporting on them to the public. Journalists, and newspapers in particular, have shown time and time again the truth in the old saw that "knowledge is power."
The Cavalier Daily serves in this important position for you. It is an independent daily newspaper that reports on actions by local government, by the University, and by student groups that will affect your lives. Sometimes, the people it reports on would prefer that those stories not be reported. They call and threaten lawsuits, cry foul, or generally just try to express their displeasure.
The Cavalier Daily has a long tradition of standing strong in such times of controversy. Make no mistake, this is a college newspaper that is a real newspaper. Not every university or college has such an institution.
Often, college newspapers are little more than collections of movie listings, student center event schedules, pizza coupons, and college press releases. Such papers are often funded by the educational institution at which they are located, and a faculty member serves to oversee the final product. Not so at the University.
The question arises, of course, "If the press is so important, who are you to criticize this newspaper?" To set myself in context, as well as to provide full disclosure, let me introduce myself in some detail. I am a former The Cavalier Daily staffer. I worked on the paper in various capacities for three years. I graduated from the University in 1991. I was raised in Albemarle County, and recently returned after a nine-year absence. This allows me to bring a variety of useful perspectives to this column from my experience: working newspaper staff; townie; student; alumnus.
In addition, I am an attorney working here in Charlottesville. While there have been some terrible and highly publicized ethical breaches by some lawyers, it is arguable that day-to-day, most attorneys are faced with numerous ethical and practical choices which will powerfully impact the lives of others. As a result, lawyers learn to constantly deal with issues that have no clear-cut answer. They seek others' counsel, they investigate, they conduct research, and ultimately, they draw their own conclusions.
That will be my approach to the ombudsman position -- to try to gather various perspectives before drawing my own conclusions. It is likely that not everyone will agree with what I write, but I will try to bring a balanced perspective and explain as best I can how I arrived at my opinion.
As Juvenal so famously said, "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" This year, I will.
Brent Garland can be reached at ombud@cavalierdaily.com.
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