Letter from the Editors
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The Tech News Editorial Board |
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To the WPI Community,
A controversial advertisement for the Committee for Open Debate On the Holocaust that ran in the previous three issues of this publication has become the subject of serious debate on the WPI campus. We write to you in light of the letters we have received and conversations we have had with concerned students and faculty.
The original decision to publish the advertisement was a conscious one, made in accordance with Tech News policy, which clearly states "The Tech News staff reserves the right to reject any advertisement it deems to be inappropriate." As a matter of long-standing precedent, we restrict ads that are visually offensive in nature or that might be misconstrued as having been authored by a member of the Tech News staff. After the first issue over the content of the ad was raised, the editorial board discussed the ad and determined that the ad met advertising guidelines and precedents. A second, separate advertisement received by the organization was rejected because it was both inappropriate and arranged in manner that could easily be mistaken for a staff-written article.
All decisions made in regards to this advertisement were openly discussed by the editorial board, which was aware of the concerns expressed by community members. The Tech News editorial board members have devoted a great deal of time to addressing this issue. It has caused us to evaluate the mission of Tech News as a community publication and to formalize a mission statement for the organization as a whole. We hope that this statement will exemplify what we as a publication wish to give to WPI and drive all editorial decisions in the future. In addition, our advertisement and article submission policies are currently under review and will be published once the general staff of the organization has approved them. Approval is expected by the end of B-Term, before the Christmas break.
We thank all of you who have shared your comments on this matter. It's often because of our readers that we are able to learn and become a better newspaper-one that serves and represents the community in which it exists.
The Tech News Editorial Board
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