COLUMN: Farewell

From Stephen Glass's "Enemy of the People," Fall '93 From Stephen Glass's "Enemy of the People," Fall '93I have to get this off my chest. I have a confession to make. During my tenure as Executive Editor of this newspaper, I have allowed a grave omission to occur. In a single day, dozens of column inches are spent discussing everything from our latest football victory to the routine Undergraduate Assembly meeting where nothing was done. Hundreds of more inches are bought by local businesses and student groups to hawk their wares and advertise their events. But in midst of this extensive coverage, this newspaper has missed a big story happening daily across campus. I must admit, we have been delinquent. It has refused to cover the most dedicated student group at Penn. In a building just off campus, over 300 students have been working daily for the past year to improve this University. They have been laboring to all hours in the night in their idealistic quest for truth, justice, and the American way. The DP has consistently refused to print pictures containing any member of this group. It has laid down a stated policy of not running this group's letters to the editor despite the scores of letters it runs against these students. Who are these ignored people? What do they do on campus? The answer is right under your nose. The 300 plus students that make up the editorial and business staffs of the 109th Board of The Daily Pennsylvanian seldom are recognized. Sure, they win awards both as a group and individually, but rarely is the DP staff praised in the very inches it produces. So it is in this, my final column that I would like to salute the newspaper's staff. For most readers, The Daily Pennsylvanian is just a part of their morning ritual. They pick it up when they leave the High Rises for their morning class or in the dining halls while they eat their lunch. It is a companion. But, aside from the ink that has rubbed off onto their hands, the average reader's connection with the newspaper ends long before they go to sleep. During those late hours, however, a windowless office on the corner of 40th and Walnut streets buzzes with excitement as the newspaper's staff prepares the next morning's issue. And while nearly the entire campus is quick to criticize this newspaper, few understand the time and dedication that it takes to produce. For example, as you already know, this week, the newspaper is publishing a series on race relations. But what you don't see is that editors and writers were here from 6 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. making sure every word was right. We all take for granted that last night's crime will be accurately detailed in these pages. But few think that an editor must always be listening to the police scanner and reporters and photographers are called at home at 3 a.m., even though they might have a midterm in seven hours, to report on an armed robbery. Even worse, few student leaders think about how their Campus Events appear in the paper when they've scrawled them on the back of an envelope and submitted it past deadline. But business staff members diligently decipher them and enter them in the computer. Hundreds of hours go into every issue we publish, but few individuals on this staff are ever complimented. However, rarely a day goes by that someone does not tell me and every other staff member that this newspaper is a divisive voice rather than a constructive one. Why do we print crime? Why do we publish stories about conflict? Why do we look for the hidden story? The answer is simple: you have a right to know. The role of this newspaper is to provide the reader with more information than they could ever want about the University of Pennsylvania. Students slave in this office for hours on end to construct the University's mirror. It is this reflection that allows members of the University to be self-critical and strive for excellence. As this editorial board said in its first issue: "We shall not claim to be right all of the time. All we can pledge is to report the news to the extent of our ability and to speak out to the limit of our courage." This mirror is not and should not be "nice." Rather, this reflection is more useful when the glass is pure – emphasizing each wrinkle and each scar. Only by seeing our true self will we ever improve. In recent months, many in the University have wanted to add a rosy tint to this mirror. Many interests, ranging from the Commission to Strengthen the Community and College Hall officials have privately discussed and even publically called for an advisory panel to "sensitize" this newspaper. For them, the job that the DP staff does day in and day out is not good enough. These critics see too many flaws and scratches on this mirror. They look into the paper expecting to see their beauty, but at times, they are shocked by the warts. Nothing could make me happier. Over the past year, I hoped to nurture a newspaper whose very job is to expose these flaws along with the beauty. As a journalist, the existence of these warts is not my problem; my job is to expose them. But as a student, these imperfections are my problem. It should be the responsibility of all students to work towards and demand their resolution. This laboratory in free expression must continue to thrive without interference. When any advisory panel dictates or even encourages a newspaper to act differently, it is no longer an independent press. As the 109th volume of the DP comes to a close, I must thank my colleagues for their unparalleled effort. Moreover, I pray that this community will continue to value the truth which can only be reflected in an independent press. Stephen Glass is a senior Anthropology major from Highland Park, Illinois and the Daily Pennsylvanian's Executive Editor. Enemy of the People appeared alternate Wednesdays.