Many turn to the 'Prince' as a major source for Princeton life. Parents and alumni have subscriptions or read it online, not to mention prospective and current students, faculty, students at other schools, and — judging from the mail I get — random people from all over the country.
For this reason, the 'Prince' is obliged to take appropriate caution in how it represents the school and its students.
Newspapers are a record of our history, and they bear the responsibility to be fair, balanced, informative, and inclusive. The New York Times claims to have "all the news fit to print," acknowledging, if somewhat proudly, its role as the authoritative news source in America. The motto also indicates judgment. With limited space and time, journalists and newspapers must constantly make choices that reflect their priorities in what is newsworthy. Quality journalism isn't just the fair and balanced telling of stories; it's also the fair and balanced selection of which stories to tell. What you leave out is as important as what you include.
Consider obituaries, wedding announcements and arts reviews.
Consider the media's previous obsessions with Hillary Clinton's hair, Cornel West's move, Howard Dean's scream — hardly matters warranting the coverage they received.
Consider the barrage of attention on Jon-Benet Ramsey and Elizabeth Smart, while thousands of children disappear each year unnoticed by the media. (Did you notice the blond and beautiful factor?)
Which brings me back to my opinion of the 'Prince.' Someone who based their knowledge of Princeton on reading the 'Prince' would think there was hardly any religious life on campus.
The Center for Jewish Life, Christian Science Organization, Manna Christian Fellowship, the Hindu Students Council, Aquinas Institute, Baha'i Club at Princeton, Muslim Students' Association — when's the last time you've read anything about these groups?
Last Thursday, an article detailed how eight Princetonian girls went into New York City for a party for pleasure-seeking feminists.
Meanwhile, about 160 Princetonians in Christian fellowships went on annual ski retreats over Intercession, unremarked by the 'Prince.' There are always articles about a cappella and dance performances, even on auditions and intergroup rivalries.
What about the Princetonians who go to places like Chile, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, and Venezuela on missions trips every year? Did you even know about them?
Recent articles in the 'Prince' include a five-part series on the LBGT community at Princeton, a four-part series on race and the Street, a 10-part series on being an athlete at Princeton, and even a three-part series on being a 'Wa employee.
Where are the articles about the religious community here?
Certainly students can be defined and isolated by their faith just as much as they can through their race, sexual orientation, or extracurricular activity. How do orthodox Jews feel about the dearth of kosher options outside the CJL? How do highly religious students view eating clubs or the Street? Wait, we have those kinds of people here?
Members of the national media are largely well-off, educated, secular, and white, a fact that has been slowly changing for many years—too slowly, considering the socioeconomic and ideological assumptions that journalists bring to their stories.
Diversity isn't an arbitrary, superfluous goal, like varying M&M colors merely for aesthetic appeal. Newspapers like The New York Times should have fewer writers who are baffled at the astounding success of "The Passion of the Christ" (where did these people come from?) and think religion is "the opiate of the masses" — or just ignorant hicks in the Midwest and South — and more writers who themselves prioritize their faith. It affects coverage.
I don't know the profiles of 'Prince' staff, but the religious community is being ignored.
Religious students make up a considerable segment of Princeton University, and should not be marginalized by its daily paper.
If 'the Prince' is unhappy with the criticism it receives, here's one place it can start improving. Julie Park is an English major from Wayne, N.J. You can reach her at jypark@princeton.edu. Her column appears on alternate Tuesdays.
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