I created The Rocket’s editorial policy to make sure that both my writers and I can create the most productive and fair version of our publication possible.
With the current political climate and the controversies surrounding college campuses, I believe The Rocket needs clear standards for what we will and will not publish. As a student newspaper, we have a responsibility to give students a place to express their opinions and talk about issues that matter to them. At the same time, we have a responsibility to think about how those opinions are presented and who they may affect.
I want to make sure The Rocket contributes to student knowledge and engagement on campus, not fear. Students should be able to read our publication and know that the information we publish is accurate, that our writers are held to journalistic standards and that our opinion section is a place for discussion and not personal attacks.
This is why I will not approve opinion pieces centered on personal political beliefs regarding the identities or rights of current or prospective students. I believe there is a difference between discussing a political issue and making the identities or rights of other students the subject of a political argument. The Rocket should be a place where students can discuss issues that affect campus without making other students feel like they are being personally targeted simply because of who they are or what organization they are involved with.
That does not mean The Rocket will avoid political topics or controversial issues. I don’t want an opinion section where every piece agrees with the next one or where writers are afraid to criticize something because it may upset someone. Students should be able to criticize university decisions, student organizations, campus policies and other issues they disagree with. An opinion page that never challenges anyone or anything wouldn’t be doing its job.
What matters to me is how that disagreement is expressed. Writers need to be able to support their arguments with accurate and verifiable information. Criticism should be directed at policies, decisions, actions or issues rather than turning into personal attacks, harassment or discriminatory language. There is a line between disagreeing with an organization and making the students associated with that organization feel as though they are the ones being attacked. That is a line I believe The Rocket has a responsibility to recognize.
The policy also discusses generalized standards for the rest of our journalism. Quotes cannot be fabricated, altered to change their meaning or taken out of context. Information, quotes, photos, graphics and other material taken from another source must be properly attributed. AI-generated material cannot be submitted as original reporting, and AI cannot be used to fabricate quotes, sources, facts, interviews or other journalistic material. Reporters also have a responsibility to give people an opportunity to respond when they are facing serious criticism or allegations in a story.
I didn’t create these standards to make writing for staff and contributors more difficult; I believe they are important if we want our readers to trust our publication. The Rocket represents the students who write for it, but it also represents the students who read it and the people we cover. If we publish something that is inaccurate, misleading or unfair, that reflects on the entire organization, not just the person who wrote it.
As editor-in-chief, I know that not everyone is going to agree with every decision I make. That is something I am learning is a part of running a newspaper. My job is not to make sure every submission gets published. My job is to make sure the material we publish meets the standards we have set for The Rocket.
I also know that having these standards means I will sometimes have to tell someone that their work cannot be published as it was submitted. That is not a decision I take lightly. Writers put time and effort into their work, and I understand that being told no can be frustrating. However, having an opinion does not automatically mean a newspaper has to publish it. We have a responsibility to consider whether a piece is accurate, whether its arguments are supported and whether it fits the standards of our publication.
Ultimately, I want The Rocket to be a place where students can question ideas, criticize decisions, discuss controversial issues and learn about what is happening on campus. I don’t want to take disagreement out of our publication. I want to make sure that disagreement can happen without turning our newspaper into a source where students are afraid to participate in campus life or feel that they will be personally targeted.
That is why I created this policy. The Rocket should encourage students to speak up, ask questions and challenge the things they disagree with. At the same time, we should be able to do that while keeping our publication accurate, fair and respectful of the students who make up our campus community.
