The voice of the people

There is a long-standing tradition in American society that the press serves as the watchdog for the people, seeking out injustice and exposing it to the light of truth. However, the press occasionally oversteps its bounds and commits the same villainy it is obliged to overcome. \nLibel laws prevent the press from publishing false and defamatory information, but there are many ethical issues that libel does not control. Even one of America's greatest supporters of free speech, Thomas Jefferson, once said, "Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper…the real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day." \nAs such, there is a need for someone who has the facts necessary to expose "the lies of the day." How can you, the readers, know when a journalist has accepted gifts for a favorable review, or if the editor decided to cut an important and controversial story because he was afraid of losing advertising revenue? How can you be sure that you are receiving unbiased, ethical and accurate news reports?\nThat's where I come in. I am the news ombudsman for the IDS. The ombudsman's job is to be the voice of the people whenever there is a question about the integrity of the newspaper. The readers cannot be expected to know the decisions made behind closed doors of an editor's office, yet they are expected somehow to trust the validity and integrity of the news reporting. Therefore, an ombudsman has the duty to investigate and critique the newspaper when it engages in questionable activities, and unlike the readers, the ombudsman has both the access and opportunity necessary to do so.\nAs the ombudsman, I am the only person on the IDS staff who can comment on the newspaper's policies and decisions. Therefore, any concerns or complaints about the IDS can be sent to me, which I will investigate to the best of my ability and then report to the public.\nThe IDS has not had an ombudsman since April 24, 2001, when the last ombudsman, Brian Hartz, published his final column in which he stated, "I've been rough on the IDS lately…but if there has been one redeeming quality shining through all of this uproar, it is the IDS editors' willingness to subject themselves and their decisions to my criticism, something that speaks well of them as journalists…another ombudsman will be along soon. Keep reading."\nThe IDS did not hire a new ombudsman, however. Last semester's editor-in-chief, Christina Jewett, attributed the lack of an ombudsman to little student interest in the position. She did make applications for the ombudsman position available, but there were no applicants. The last fall's editor-in-chief, Gina Czark, did not respond to my request for a comment.\nThe hiring of an ombudsman should be a priority and equal to that of the various desk editors, but the IDS has not made it one. Not hiring an ombudsman was a disservice to the readers, for they had no voice on the IDS staff, and it was also a disservice to the integrity and credibility of the IDS journalists. Ryan Gunterman, current editor-in-chief, deserves credit for being brave enough to subject himself and his columnists to scrutiny. When my tenure as ombudsman is over, the editor-in-chief should make it a priority to hire a new ombudsman to watch over the journalistic integrity of the newspaper and keep alive the voice of the people on its pages.