Alumni examine 'Gazette' concerns

The University's Publications Committee plans to investigate concerns that the administration is attempting to tighten its editorial control over The Pennsylvania Gazette, according to committee members. A decision to form a special subcommittee to look into the claims regarding the traditionally independent alumni magazine was made at an October 16 meeting of the Publications Committee, according to Samuel Maitin, a Center City artist who chairs the advisory group. The subcommittee is charged with investigating allegations that the University's Development and Alumni Relations Office wanted to review all Gazette stories in advance. The group will also attempt to clarify the magazine's relationship with the administration. Virginia Clark, vice president for development and alumni relations, will meet November 3 with the sub-committee to discuss their concerns, Maitin said. He added that among the paramount worries is a feeling among committee members that the administration has not done enough to publicize the Gazette's numerous awards, including the Robert Sibley Award for Best Alumni Magazine in the nation. During the October 16 meeting, Maitin read a letter he wrote to University President Judith Rodin inviting her to the meeting. He also expressed disappointment that he had "seen and heard no broad, happy congratulatory public expressions to the talented publisher, editor and staff of our outstanding magazine. "This lack of recognition from your offices misses an opportunity at good public relations," Maitin continued in the letter. In her response, Rodin, who did not attend the meeting, said she was surprised that Maitin felt the University had not adequately recognized the Gazette. She said that Almanac had acknowledged the awards and the contributions of the Gazette's publisher, editor and staff in a visible way. While some members of the committee, like Maitin, have been vocal about their concerns, others do not agree. Following the October 16 meeting, one Publications Committee member, Carla Graubard, wrote Maitin to say that while the Gazette's independence was important, she did not feel it was wrong for the magazine to seek a compromise with the administration regarding its editorial independence. "I also feel very strongly that compromise is not a dirty word, and some additional material about campus news and alumni is perfectly compatible with the high standards of the Gazette and its mission," Graubard wrote. "While I feel it is appropriate and not unreasonable for the new administration to want to see more pages devoted to these subjects, I think it is neither appropriate nor wise for them to dictate how these topics are conveyed," she added. Graubard wrote that the very fact the administration is willing to publish the often provocative Gazette proves how confident the University is in the magazine. David Bradley, a former member of the Publications Committee and contributor to the Gazette, addressed a letter to Maitin in which he took a harder line on the need the alumni magazine's independence. "[The Gazette] is the best magazine of its type in America, so it has been judged informally for many years, and so it has been judged formally this year," he wrote. "If the administration is blind to that, it should be asked what message would be sent to the community beyond the University were it known that a source of excellence was being 'repaired,' while so many things that need repair remain untouched." In his letter, Bradley lauded Gazette Editor Anthony Lyle for his hard work. "I have heard from another source that Tony Lyle's competence has come under 'review,'" Bradley said. "This is...silly. Tony is a strong-minded and sometimes unpolitical person, but so am I, and I have worked with him for over ten years." Bradley, who is a well-known author, explained that he had learned a lot while working for Lyle. He said that although Lyle may not be the easiest person to work with, he is a "damn fine journalist." "I know what Tony has stood for over the years. I know that when he prints a piece it means something," Bradley wrote. Maitin said he is uncertain about what will result from the November 3 meeting with Clark, especially given the division between some members of the Publications Committee over what action must be taken. But Maitin said he hopes to resolve the situation before Lyle loses his job or the Gazette loses the independence it has maintained for more than two decades.