I found myself between a rock and a hard place last week, Wednesday to be specific. I was proposed with an article idea that may have an impact on several groups on this campus. And for the first time, it was up to me to decide whether or not a certain event should be covered.
I witnessed the last Editor-in-Chief go through many of these moments. Being presented with an idea and having to think about the consequences of covering a controversial event. When I was asked for my opinion, I had always been very to the point; I always knew what to say. I think I knew what to say because, in the end, I was not the one making the decision. So, when this past Wednesday I was presented with a potential article idea, my immediate thought was, “Oh god ….here we go.”
I am a student with a moral code and my own perception of the world. However, when I am Editor-in-Chief, I strive to remain objective and as open-minded as possible. If I were to make a decision based on my personal opinions, I would not be showing fairness to those who do not share my same views. We are The Stute, we write Stevens History, and it is not up to me to pick and choose what side of history we stand on. We cover the good, the bad, and the ugly, and it’s up to the reader to decide which category an article falls in.
When presented with an article idea, my questions are “Have we covered something like this before?”, “If this article were to be written, what issue would it be published in?”, “Will writing it spark a controversy?”, “Will NOT writing it spark a controversy?”.
Therein lies the idea of silent bias.
By writing something and publishing it, I am giving the readers who believe in a certain topic a platform. By not writing something, I am possibly taking away that same platform. We are an unbiased organization, and my job is to make it so that we cover all sides of the story, not favoring one or the other.
When presented with the article idea, I went through all the questions above. Logistically and timeline-wise, the article could not have been written even if I wanted it to.
I wrote about this topic this week, to break down my thought process for you, the reader, and for myself. Some weeks are so easy, so fun, so lighthearted. Other weeks, they ground you, make you think twice about every decision you have made. This past week, the decision was not nearly as serious as I am making it out to be, but it brought me some clarity. It made me realize I really have to step out of my own headspace to make a clear decision, for I do not want The Stute to remain silent when our words can make an impact.
