I am proud to say that during my tenure as editor-in-chief, I was accused of having conservative just as often as liberal bias. For every editorial I published criticizing the University, I could count on accusations of being in bed with the administration. I was just as frequently labeled a protector of University traditions as I was a radical. Every day we published a newspaper, I could expect criticism about our coverage.
It is this constant stream of criticism that makes "performs under pressure" a requirement for any candidates seeking the position of editor-in-chief. The Cavalier Daily's role as the University's independent fourth estate brings with it great responsibilities, chief among those serving as a watchdog within the community. Our readers responded when they felt we were not fulfilling that role to their satisfaction, and during the course of my term, I came to understand the value of such honest feedback.
Far from pursuing a hidden agenda for each element of the University, I truly embraced The Cavalier Daily's independence. When examining a particular aspect of the University, my first questions were always, 'Does this make sense?', 'Is it the most beneficial solution for students?', and 'At what cost?' - just as often in terms of individuals' time and efforts as financial resources. I believed the resulting coverage to be not only less prone to bias but also more likely to yield change. Though philosophical editorials on the virtues of the single sanction may have been tempting, it was my belief that explicitly highlighting an aspect of daily student life would go much further toward changing the University for the better. That is not to say that we did not examine the University's values, but we were more concerned with using our independent perspective to scrutinize how those values were being reflected than with changing the values themselves.
Analyzing the University in this manner may seem tedious, but my own experience as a leader has taught me the significance of outside criticism. Though many students express dissatisfaction with the actions of student leaders or administrators, few understand the process that yields unpopular decisions. It is my belief that most students assume University leaders are aware of their concerns and then knowingly decide to go against them. Rarely, however, is this the case. More often, University leaders make their decisions with very limited information about student preferences. They solicit student feedback regularly, but because few students participate, unpopular decisions are unavoidable. Most University leaders would welcome an opportunity for more student input to guide their decision-making, and the benefits of doing so are clear.
Providing that input is The Cavalier Daily's most valuable service to the University community. On an informative level, we report on the actions of student leaders and administrators. We also offer our own analysis and judgment in editorials, but more importantly, we open our pages to anyone who wishes to voice their opinion. Letters to the editor and guest columns were my favorite articles to publish because in doing so, we were directly representing the concerns of students. When an initial criticism evolved in our pages and online comments into a constructive discussion, I knew that the end result would be a more informed University leader and, hopefully, a more satisfied community.
And I could count on many of those letters and comments to express concern with The Cavalier Daily's coverage itself. Our publication is faced with the same challenge of representing students as the organizations we cover. In directing coverage, I constantly questioned whether I had an accurate understanding of student concerns, and it is for this reason that I treasured any feedback I received. Though it sometimes required swallowing my pride, criticism of The Cavalier Daily uncovered how I could make this organization better in the eyes of a single individual. Not every criticism led to change, but many did, and all broadened my understanding of what the University community wants from The Cavalier Daily.
It is with this mindset that I approached our critiques of other University leaders. As an independent, outside observer, we could provide feedback that no other part of the University community could. And though those criticisms may have sometimes stung, they contributed to a public discussion that I believe is fundamental to informed decision making.
Ultimately, we are a part of this community, and no one wants to see the University grow and improve more than we do. Regardless of what bias you think The Cavalier Daily is subject to, one thing is certain - if there was not a University of Virginia, there would not be a Cav Daily. I never forgot that.
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