10.30.2003
Brandeis Justice source: Here's how it happened
Catch up with the ongoing controversy here.
The damage to the paper is reportedly more extensive than first reported. According to a newsroom source, after the resignation of five editors, "the rest of the board doesn't know how to put the paper back together."
Four of the people who resigned had the most experience and ability. The new editor-in-chief, who was previously the managing editor, "has never edited a section in her life." There is no sports editor, the feature editor is resigning, as are the two best layout people.
Anyway, here is one newsroom source's account of what happened:
The columnist, Dan Passner, writes the column with the racist remark, not qualifying it or giving it any context. "Although his remarks are inexcusable in the words he used, the blow would have been much softer had Passner... said that the context was Baker saying that all blacks are better baseball players than whites in the heat."
The column was submitted late Monday. The sports editor didn't read it and placed it in layout. He also did not pass it along to the editor-in-chief, another step missed. Bells went off in a copy assistant's head, but because of his "inexperience," he just circled it, "instead of [running out] of the copy office to ask why this was in the newspaper." The proof was handed off to the sports assistant, who didn't see anything wrong with it, "as in he wasn't reading it, just looked to see what needed... fixing and a circle is not a good indication."
The paper came out on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, someone reads it, and forwards it to the Brandeis Black Student Organization (BBSO). The BBSO brings it to the attention of the Justice and demands for four things: That the sports editor and columnist be fired; a front page editorial/apology be put on the front page, as well as a letter from them.
A deadline to agree is set for Wednesday, 8pm.
Before the deadline, the university's president, Jehuda Reinharz, sends a campus-wide "ill informed email (probably b/c he board of trustees was meeting on campus)," writing that the three editors had condoned the column's racist writings. He did this, the source says, without ever speaking with any Justice staffers.
The newspaper tries to hold a forum on Thursday night for people to discuss what happened. The BBSO walks out because their demands have not been met. They issue several more, one of which includes the resignation of the editor-in-chief.
On Friday, President Reinharz meets with the editor-in-chief and sports editors to say they should resign. They refuse (sports editor later resigns anyway).
After being told to do so, the columnist resigns from the paper, as well as the student senate.
On Saturday slash Sunday, "through student leaders we were told the president said the EIC will resign or else." It's later clarified that they won't be able to print unless he does. "Mind you the University says we are independent and it says so on our Masthead," says the source.
On Sunday, the student senate passes a resolution calling on the people responsible to resign. Reportedly, it took them from 7pm till 6am to do it.
The main thrust of their debate was that the editor-in-chief should resign.
The resignation of the editor-in-chief would cripple the paper, says the source, since at that point they had already lost two editors, including the senior editor because he was "trying to speak for the board without [the] authority."
Monday, 6pm: The editor in chief said the Justice must go on. "At first most of the board felt that we should all resign, but he told him that the idea of the Justice is more important than him--so did several 'ghosts' from Justice past like the EIC from 2001 who emailed and called."
Because the administration was clear on not letting them print unless the editor-in-chief resigned, the source says, "I can no longer honestly say that the Justice is the independent student newspaper."
Later that night, the BBSO didn't have their front-page statement ready, and wanted to have until Friday to write it. The Justice decided to go to print anyway, feeling that six days was enough. As a result, the BBSO began a protest outside their offices, often shouting, "What do we want? No Justice! When do we want it? Now!" amd "Stop the presses."
The BBSO was there until 5am, banging on the doors, walls, and windows, calling staffers "racists," "bigots," and yelling "Steve, Steve [the editor-in-chief]... we'll get you..."
"They were threatening and made many editors feel vulnerable, afraid. The office (people) was an emotional wreck," says the source.
"At 4:30, senior administrators come to the office to try to diffuse the situation. Basically Senior VP for Students and Enrollment [Jean Eddy] made us hold off printing [until Thursday to allow for the BBSO to write their statement], taking away any dignity the board has left," adding that that is the first time anyone from senior administration had met with the entire board.
The people in the editorial room were "hurt, deflated, disenchanted," and operating on three hours of sleep. They didn't argue with Eddy.
"We now don't feel comfortable on campus, and feel threatened to not reveal our feelings and opinions on the issue. Luckily there is an undercurrent of support growing for us now," said the source. Soured by the experience, many said they want to transfer out of Brandeis.
Making a final point, the source writes, "What is lost in all of this is that one person made a racist remark. One person. Not the 17 editors but one person. And everyone is trying to blame anyone on the Justice for that. Instead of trying to figure out how to deal with racism in the community, [they] just want to punish the paper."
The damage to the paper is reportedly more extensive than first reported. According to a newsroom source, after the resignation of five editors, "the rest of the board doesn't know how to put the paper back together."
Four of the people who resigned had the most experience and ability. The new editor-in-chief, who was previously the managing editor, "has never edited a section in her life." There is no sports editor, the feature editor is resigning, as are the two best layout people.
Anyway, here is one newsroom source's account of what happened:
The columnist, Dan Passner, writes the column with the racist remark, not qualifying it or giving it any context. "Although his remarks are inexcusable in the words he used, the blow would have been much softer had Passner... said that the context was Baker saying that all blacks are better baseball players than whites in the heat."
The column was submitted late Monday. The sports editor didn't read it and placed it in layout. He also did not pass it along to the editor-in-chief, another step missed. Bells went off in a copy assistant's head, but because of his "inexperience," he just circled it, "instead of [running out] of the copy office to ask why this was in the newspaper." The proof was handed off to the sports assistant, who didn't see anything wrong with it, "as in he wasn't reading it, just looked to see what needed... fixing and a circle is not a good indication."
The paper came out on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, someone reads it, and forwards it to the Brandeis Black Student Organization (BBSO). The BBSO brings it to the attention of the Justice and demands for four things: That the sports editor and columnist be fired; a front page editorial/apology be put on the front page, as well as a letter from them.
A deadline to agree is set for Wednesday, 8pm.
Before the deadline, the university's president, Jehuda Reinharz, sends a campus-wide "ill informed email (probably b/c he board of trustees was meeting on campus)," writing that the three editors had condoned the column's racist writings. He did this, the source says, without ever speaking with any Justice staffers.
The newspaper tries to hold a forum on Thursday night for people to discuss what happened. The BBSO walks out because their demands have not been met. They issue several more, one of which includes the resignation of the editor-in-chief.
On Friday, President Reinharz meets with the editor-in-chief and sports editors to say they should resign. They refuse (sports editor later resigns anyway).
After being told to do so, the columnist resigns from the paper, as well as the student senate.
On Saturday slash Sunday, "through student leaders we were told the president said the EIC will resign or else." It's later clarified that they won't be able to print unless he does. "Mind you the University says we are independent and it says so on our Masthead," says the source.
On Sunday, the student senate passes a resolution calling on the people responsible to resign. Reportedly, it took them from 7pm till 6am to do it.
The main thrust of their debate was that the editor-in-chief should resign.
The resignation of the editor-in-chief would cripple the paper, says the source, since at that point they had already lost two editors, including the senior editor because he was "trying to speak for the board without [the] authority."
Monday, 6pm: The editor in chief said the Justice must go on. "At first most of the board felt that we should all resign, but he told him that the idea of the Justice is more important than him--so did several 'ghosts' from Justice past like the EIC from 2001 who emailed and called."
Because the administration was clear on not letting them print unless the editor-in-chief resigned, the source says, "I can no longer honestly say that the Justice is the independent student newspaper."
Later that night, the BBSO didn't have their front-page statement ready, and wanted to have until Friday to write it. The Justice decided to go to print anyway, feeling that six days was enough. As a result, the BBSO began a protest outside their offices, often shouting, "What do we want? No Justice! When do we want it? Now!" amd "Stop the presses."
The BBSO was there until 5am, banging on the doors, walls, and windows, calling staffers "racists," "bigots," and yelling "Steve, Steve [the editor-in-chief]... we'll get you..."
"They were threatening and made many editors feel vulnerable, afraid. The office (people) was an emotional wreck," says the source.
"At 4:30, senior administrators come to the office to try to diffuse the situation. Basically Senior VP for Students and Enrollment [Jean Eddy] made us hold off printing [until Thursday to allow for the BBSO to write their statement], taking away any dignity the board has left," adding that that is the first time anyone from senior administration had met with the entire board.
The people in the editorial room were "hurt, deflated, disenchanted," and operating on three hours of sleep. They didn't argue with Eddy.
"We now don't feel comfortable on campus, and feel threatened to not reveal our feelings and opinions on the issue. Luckily there is an undercurrent of support growing for us now," said the source. Soured by the experience, many said they want to transfer out of Brandeis.
Making a final point, the source writes, "What is lost in all of this is that one person made a racist remark. One person. Not the 17 editors but one person. And everyone is trying to blame anyone on the Justice for that. Instead of trying to figure out how to deal with racism in the community, [they] just want to punish the paper."
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