Campus Controversy: My Dean at Medill Must Explain or Apologize
Posted: 2/15/2008 | By: Emily Vaughan
There has been no shortage of diatribes directed at John Lavine since he took the helm of one of the premier journalism schools in 2006 and
transformed its curriculum. As a Medill student who came to Northwestern the same school year Lavine was named dean, I have heard (and sometimes shared) many of these concerns, such as ?Medill isn?t teaching me to write? or ?These aren?t the classes I signed up for when I decided to come here.? And: ?I want my money back.?
But these complaints pale in comparison to the latest controversy. Senior David Spett, a columnist for the campus newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, published an investigative piece in which he suggested that three anonymous quotes used by Lavine in a magazine defending his new programs were fabricated.
Last spring, Lavine, in his regular column called Letter from the Dean published in Medill's alumni magazine, touted the success and support for his new curriculum, and quoted unnamed students. To Spett, the anonymity seemed unnecessary -- and the wording in one quote, from a student allegedly in a certain advertising class, praising Lavine's vision seemed unusual. So he started to investigate. Spett contacted all 29 students in the advertising class. None of them, even under the promise of anonymity, admitted to providing the quote.
When the columnist confronted the dean in an interview, Lavine said
the quote was authentic, and that it came an in email from a student, but he couldn?t remember who. Lavine also explained that his column in the magazine was in the form of a ?personal letter,? which does not need as careful sourcing or adherence to journalistic standards as a traditional article.
Comments on The Daily?s Web site show lots of people are in a tizzy about this alleged breach of ethics, and the story has been picked up by Chicago newspapers and even National Public Radio. Spett has received a lot of attention and a lot of praise for his work uncovering the controversy.
Lavine has defended himself. He insists the quotes are authentic; he just can?t tell you who said them. While there is no way of proving the quotes are fabricated, that doesn?t mean he?s off the hook. This is about poor journalism ? journalism that could get a reporter fired and Medill student an F or even expelled.
Let?s say Dean Lavine is telling the truth and the quotes are authentic. His use of anonymous quotes, even in such a column, was unnecessary and unprofessional, something Medill instills in its students. And his not being able to identify a source is a troubling journalistic matter. At the very least, he owes the Medill community an apology for setting a poor example of the quality of work that comes out of our school.
Medill has incredibly high expectations for the accuracy and quality of its students? work. The wrong typo, if it alters the meaning of fact even
slightly, is grounds for failing an assignment. As the face of the school,
Lavine should be held to even higher standards than his students. If the professors are not held accountable for their journalistic ethics and
accuracy, it doesn?t bode well for the work their students will produce. And the last thing journalism needs in this time of transition is a class of journalists whose commitment to quality is questionable.
I will be the first to admit, there is something wrong with the industry
today. Dean Lavine is right ? something has to change.
But what shouldn?t change is what journalism is. Journalism isn?t marketing; it?s researching and writing the truth in order to inform the public. The basic tenets of what makes good journalism must not change. This includes accuracy and accountability, which Lavine?s actions, and more importantly his defense of his actions, call into question.
Medill may be Lavine?s school right now, but ultimately, its reputation and legacy will mean a lot more to me, a 20-year-old embarking on my journalism career than to the 67-year-old dean, who is nearing the end of his. As long as I am paying more than $11,000 every quarter for a degree, I want it to retain the same value it had when I chose to attend the school.
I?m not calling for Lavine?s resignation or anything so dramatic (though I?m sure I could find plenty of supporters if I did), but there needs to be some conciliatory action on the dean?s part ? an apology, an acknowledgment of wrongdoing, or some gesture to restore this J-school student?s faith that she shouldn?t be asking for her money back.
transformed its curriculum. As a Medill student who came to Northwestern the same school year Lavine was named dean, I have heard (and sometimes shared) many of these concerns, such as ?Medill isn?t teaching me to write? or ?These aren?t the classes I signed up for when I decided to come here.? And: ?I want my money back.?
But these complaints pale in comparison to the latest controversy. Senior David Spett, a columnist for the campus newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, published an investigative piece in which he suggested that three anonymous quotes used by Lavine in a magazine defending his new programs were fabricated.
Last spring, Lavine, in his regular column called Letter from the Dean published in Medill's alumni magazine, touted the success and support for his new curriculum, and quoted unnamed students. To Spett, the anonymity seemed unnecessary -- and the wording in one quote, from a student allegedly in a certain advertising class, praising Lavine's vision seemed unusual. So he started to investigate. Spett contacted all 29 students in the advertising class. None of them, even under the promise of anonymity, admitted to providing the quote.
When the columnist confronted the dean in an interview, Lavine said
the quote was authentic, and that it came an in email from a student, but he couldn?t remember who. Lavine also explained that his column in the magazine was in the form of a ?personal letter,? which does not need as careful sourcing or adherence to journalistic standards as a traditional article.
Comments on The Daily?s Web site show lots of people are in a tizzy about this alleged breach of ethics, and the story has been picked up by Chicago newspapers and even National Public Radio. Spett has received a lot of attention and a lot of praise for his work uncovering the controversy.
Lavine has defended himself. He insists the quotes are authentic; he just can?t tell you who said them. While there is no way of proving the quotes are fabricated, that doesn?t mean he?s off the hook. This is about poor journalism ? journalism that could get a reporter fired and Medill student an F or even expelled.
Let?s say Dean Lavine is telling the truth and the quotes are authentic. His use of anonymous quotes, even in such a column, was unnecessary and unprofessional, something Medill instills in its students. And his not being able to identify a source is a troubling journalistic matter. At the very least, he owes the Medill community an apology for setting a poor example of the quality of work that comes out of our school.
Medill has incredibly high expectations for the accuracy and quality of its students? work. The wrong typo, if it alters the meaning of fact even
slightly, is grounds for failing an assignment. As the face of the school,
Lavine should be held to even higher standards than his students. If the professors are not held accountable for their journalistic ethics and
accuracy, it doesn?t bode well for the work their students will produce. And the last thing journalism needs in this time of transition is a class of journalists whose commitment to quality is questionable.
I will be the first to admit, there is something wrong with the industry
today. Dean Lavine is right ? something has to change.
But what shouldn?t change is what journalism is. Journalism isn?t marketing; it?s researching and writing the truth in order to inform the public. The basic tenets of what makes good journalism must not change. This includes accuracy and accountability, which Lavine?s actions, and more importantly his defense of his actions, call into question.
Medill may be Lavine?s school right now, but ultimately, its reputation and legacy will mean a lot more to me, a 20-year-old embarking on my journalism career than to the 67-year-old dean, who is nearing the end of his. As long as I am paying more than $11,000 every quarter for a degree, I want it to retain the same value it had when I chose to attend the school.
I?m not calling for Lavine?s resignation or anything so dramatic (though I?m sure I could find plenty of supporters if I did), but there needs to be some conciliatory action on the dean?s part ? an apology, an acknowledgment of wrongdoing, or some gesture to restore this J-school student?s faith that she shouldn?t be asking for her money back.