Journalists are obligated to be as fair, balanced and accurate as possible in their reporting. With the exception of editorial commentary, writers must present their stories as accurate accounts of the events without injecting personal beliefs and/or interpretations.

The role of this newspaper, which the editorial board is charged with seeing out, is to present these accounts to inform and educate the reader about the events that occur on this campus and outside of it. We do not seek to color the campus' idea of itself, but we do aim to provide a reflection of what is happening here. Simply put, if we consider a story newsworthy, and if that story is accurately written as to convey the who, what, when, where, why and how, it is publishable by our standards.

Libel is unacceptable in our newsroom and in "professional" ones. One way that reporters avoid libel is by verifying sources and by keeping their notes after their stories are published. Obviously, some articles will have more impact than others. This is what the editorial board strives to provide to the College: accurate and informative information that will inform and foster discussion. We aim to be neither inflammatory nor sensationalistic, but committed to seeking and publishing the truth we collect.

Students made claims of irresponsibility on the part of the editorial board after the publication of an opinion piece entitled: "Comments in passing ... lasting effects." In this case all who were cited in the piece were asked to speak on record, interviewed and informed that the information they provided was to be published. In fact, we allowed at least one source to peruse the story in advance, which is not a policy of "The Bates Student."

Upon reading the piece, the source contacted the editors, claiming that the newspaper had an obligation to him to pull the story. Throughout the discussion, the source frequently admitted that the events as presented were accurate, that the quotations were verbatim, and that he was solicited for information with the understanding that the information he provided would be published. Thus we met our obligation to accuracy in all facets of reporting. It is the responsibility of the source to consider the implications of providing information that will be printed.

Journalistic integrity is not about providing complacent information that doesn't rock the boat and that allows everyone to float about in a state of naive happiness. Nor is it the function of a journalist to construct an inaccurate but perhaps more palatable written history of the world we live in.

An independent board of editors publishes "The Bates Student." We as an institution act as watchdogs over the administration, the student government and other campus organizations that we are autonomous from. We commit ourselves to being as comprehensive as we can, and to cover the good and the bad.