The Hoya is eager to engage in dialogue

In the over two weeks since The Hoya’s annual April Fools’ Day edition came out, it has become clear that many articles in the issue were both distasteful and offensive.
Our intent was only to poke fun at everything and everyone on Georgetown’s campus, including ourselves. We aimed to be ridiculous and humorous, and nothing more.
But in a number of instances, we went too far in our jokes, and as a result, we hurt members of our community. We were insensitive and ultimately wrong, and I apologize for this.
At a well-attended public forum last week, students asked representatives of The Hoya, including myself, how this could have happened. I think, in part, it is a matter of both sensitivity and perspective. It is easy to overlook something when you cannot personally sympathize with the experiences at which you are poking fun—this is why, I think, some well-intentioned members of the community found our April Fools’ edition funny and inoffensive. When we were crafting our April Fools’ edition, we lacked the perspective to remind us that our jokes touched on many individuals’ painful experiences, and we lost sight of the fact that what could be funny to some can be deeply painful to others.
It is important to note that we, as journalists, are not humorists or satirists. It is not what we take such great pride in at The Hoya. For 51 out of 52 issues a year, we proudly practice journalism in service to the Georgetown community. And, in my view, we do this pretty well. We strive to hold the University accountable, shine a light on stories that need to be told, and provide an outlet for opinions to be shared. We inform students, faculty, and alumni of campus and city news, the triumphs and failures of our athletic teams, and the dynamic underside of Georgetown’s arts and entertainment scene. I work with a group of passionate individuals, many of whom spend countless hours each week—often to the detriment of their academics and their social lives—contributing so much to this important mission.
This is not to say that we do not need to improve. In fact, everything we do can be done better, including the diversity and scope of our coverage, the depth to which we dig for our stories, the development of our online presence, and the building of our own institutional strength. Amid the changing media climate and in recognition that Georgetown truly does deserve the best, we must commit to continuous improvement.
The events of the past weeks have certainly reinforced the importance of sensitivity in our work, but even more strongly, they have highlighted the need for a sense of connectedness in our reporting and in our community. What concerns me most is our role as journalists—and, more importantly, the fact that some students feel fundamentally disconnected from The Hoya.
This is the principal challenge facing our paper.
A community newspaper must set the bar high; in fact, the bar must be set exceptionally high. While maintaining its unyielding commitment to objective reporting, a strong newspaper must push itself to cover the broadest swath of campus life. If even one group of students feels consistently alienated from their newspaper, then there is a problem.
Over the next weeks, we are going to be working on finalizing certain measures that we believe will make us a stronger newspaper and bring us closer to capturing the beat and pulse of all areas of campus. Semesterly readership forums, staff diversity training, strengthened efforts to recruit staff with more diverse backgrounds and viewpoints, and the addition of a public editor are all active, serious ways in which we can better fulfill our mission, looking even beyond the events of the past weeks.
These are steps that will open up channels of communication with all students on campus. A better understanding of the broadest range of ideas and interests will allow The Hoya to dig deeper into the heart of the community and better serve each and every different perspective.
The challenge of serving all members of our community stretches further and deeper than our recent April Fools’ issue. It is the greatest challenge for journalists, and one that the best journalists ultimately embrace. I hope to be one of these journalists, and believe the members of our staff share in this desire.
I look forward to seeing the discussions that have begun continue, and I think the measures we adopt over the next weeks mark only the start of the ways in which we might better connect to the Georgetown community.