Forum | Letter from the Editor
Letter from the Editor
Dear readers,
Student Life stands in solidarity with the Black community in the fight against systemic racism and discrimination. As an independent newspaper, we have an obligation to be ruthlessly fair in our reporting. To that end, I am not interested in mincing words: There are not multiple perspectives or sides to the systemic racism either on Washington University’s campus or in the United States more broadly.
As an independent newspaper, we also have the critical responsibility of listening to the Washington University community.
Today, the Student Life Editorial Board published a staff editorial entitled “Dear Chancellor Martin” in response to the email sent to the Washington University community about the murder of George Floyd and in support of those who fight systemic racism for justice and equity.
In addition to writing the editorial, we had one of what will be many serious conversations about Student Life as part of the Washington University community and the absolute privilege we possess as a wholly independent publication. We interrogated our practices and internal norms to reflect on how we as an independent newspaper can be inclusive of every student voice on campus because a diverse newsroom reflective of our readership is a journalistic imperative, always.
We walked away from those initial conversations with concrete efforts I am committed to seeing through as we approach the fall semester. These efforts include:
- The implementation of intentional recruitment efforts to ensure our newsroom and editorial voice is reflective of the entire student body and broader Washington University community.
- Working closely with those who offer training modules like the Center for Diversity and Inclusion to ensure that those lessons can be integrated into our standards and expectations of reporting.
- The dedication of more resources to pursue reporting projects that seek to explore Washington University’s institutional inequities.
In saying that, I realize that I don’t have all the answers. I want to invite anyone to come to me with suggestions or ideas for how we as a paper can keep using our voice. I promise to always listen.
Student Life is also committed to publishing editorial submissions from the Washington University community. Our standards for publishing submissions can be found here. If you would like to write an op-ed or just want to learn more about the process, please email [email protected] and an editor will be in touch.
Sincerely,
Emma Baker, Editor-in-Chief
In support of this letter:
Matthew Friedman
Associate Editor
Kya Vaughn
Managing Editor & Senior Forum Editor
Jayla Butler
Managing Editor
Em McPhie
Senior News Editor
Ted Moskal
Senior News Editor
Benjamin Simon
Senior Scene Editor
Dorian DeBose
Senior Sports Editor
Josh Shapiro
Senior Sports Editor
HN Hoffmann
Multimedia Editor
Jaden Satenstein
Multimedia Editor
Christine Watridge
Multimedia Editor
Vivienne Chang
Director of Engagement
Kathleen White
Director of Engagement
Jordan Coley
Copy Chief
Mia Goldberg
Design Editor
Sabrina Spence
Senior Cadenza Editor & Social Media Director
Curran Neenan
Senior Photo Editor
Nathan Springman
Webmaster
Student Life has also compiled a non-exhaustive list of resources to support the Black Lives Matter movement: