Alison Ward, 20, sophomore, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wash.   

Ward is the opinions editor for The Western Front and a public relations journalism major and sociology minor. She focuses on providing local news while calling attention to important stories, opinions, and concerns from the community.

The most crucial thing a newsroom can have is transparency, balance, accuracy, and practical steps to respond to public concerns and complaints. Newsroom ombudsmen are the channel newsrooms can have to create credibility and two-way communication between the mainstream media and the public.

During a time of strong skepticism, bias and disagreement in mainstream media, newsrooms need to have an ombudsman to explain to the public how news-gathering works. Once someone understands something, it is easier for one to trust and engage more in that subject. The return of the newsroom ombudsmen can help journalists and the newsroom become more aware of public concerns and opinions regarding a story they wrote or a story they should write.

 A newsroom can have the ombudsman’s duties and contact information listed on their site. Readers can then confidently know that this newsroom has a designated person who monitors published news for accuracy and balance while also answering questions and concerns from the public. Without a designated person for the public to contact, a newsroom may be seen as inaccessible and arrogant to the public’s needs.

Journalists and editors juggle so much that if a complaint or a concern comes their way, it could become lost in their inbox or not answered correctly. A newsroom needs to keep good connections with the community because if a journalist needs to write a story and a critical source will not accept an interview request because they had a bad experience with the newsroom then an essential source and view is lost.

The newsroom must serve the public, but how can the newsroom serve its audience without having an open conversation with them? Ombudsmen can make sure translation is not lost between the reader and the writer and can help pave the way for a respectful discussion. With accessibility and accountability comes credibility.