Correction appended
Representatives of “Bruin News 29″ said they will
not air its endorsements of undergraduate student government
candidates until concerns about the impartiality of the endorsement
process have been resolved.
Current Facilities Commissioner Joe Vardner, a member of the
Bruins United election slate, complained to the Communications
Board that a top staff member of “Bruin News 29,” the
campus television news program, wore a T-shirt from Students
First!, a competing slate, in the office, raising questions about
the impartiality of the program and its endorsements.
“Bruin News 29″ Executive Director Lauren Macheski
confirmed she wore the shirt and was affiliated with the Students
First! slate.
Macheski also worked in the office of current External Vice
President Jeannie Biniek, who is managing the campaign for the
Students First! slate.
She said she will meet with Vardner today to try to resolve the
complaint.
“As of right now, he hasn’t seen any of our
coverage, so he isn’t completely aware of what the situation
was,” she said. “I do acknowledge that my actions were
questionable, but I don’t think the entire staff should have
to suffer.”
Macheski said the endorsements were originally scheduled to air
Monday, but that she and Executive News Producer Nisreen Habbal
decided to withhold the endorsements after meeting with Student
Media Director Arvli Ward, in light of Vardner’s
complaint.
Until a resolution is reached, “Bruin News 29″ will
not air the endorsements, Macheski said.
She said “Bruin News 29″ does not have a
conflict-of-interest policy prohibiting its staff from wearing
campaign T-shirts or being involved in student government.
However, Ward said all Student Media staff can be held to the
Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, which does
outline a conflict-of-interest policy. Among the stipulations, the
code says journalists should “avoid conflicts of interest,
real or perceived” and “remain free of associations and
activities that may compromise integrity or damage
credibility.”
“(The SPJ Code of Ethics) could be a problem,” Ward
said. “It matters to everyone who is doing journalism here.
But it’s conceivable that it wasn’t real clear to
people.”
Ward said a face-to-face meeting with the complainant is the
standard first step when a grievance is filed against a student
publication.
If Vardner and Macheski cannot reach an agreement, Ward said the
issue could eventually be referred to the Communications Board.
“The most serious consequence would be that the content
wouldn’t run,” he said.
“There are no punitive remedies. It would really be about
improving our operations so something like this wouldn’t
happen again.”
The Communications Board does not meet until June 5, more than
three weeks after primary elections end.
Macheski said she hopes to work out the issue well before then,
since endorsements will no longer be relevant.
“I’d like to see a quick resolution to this problem
because I think by not airing our coverage we’re not only
doing a disservice to our staff, we’re doing a disservice to
the student body,” she said.
The E-Board has not become involved because chairwoman Anat
Herzog said she did not think the grievance fell under the
E-Board’s jurisdiction.