by Sophie Johnson
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

There is a dark underbelly to Whitman College.

I write this because I am of the newfound opinion that everything has its dirty secrets, despite whatever pleasant demeanor it may possess. So, lurking somewhere amidst the lush trees and beautiful architecture, Whitman too must have its skeletons. And dirty secrets (and the stories that lie behind them) are what journalism is all about.

The truth is a dangerous, powerful thing. Its influence knows no bounds. This is why I have long been of the opinion that journalism — good journalism — is the most effective and strongest form of activism.

I was in Chicago when I got Natalie Knott’s e-mail about the fraternity members wearing black face paint at a Survivor-themed party, which ultimately spurred campus-wide uproar regarding race issues and brought about the Race Symposium. I remember sitting on my bed, reading the e-mail and jumping to my feet to call Pioneer Editor-in-chief Sarah Stegner to see if I could cover the story. This was the journalistic opportunity of a lifetime.

But not for any glamorous reason. See, newspapers do not exist so that journalists can see their name in print, feel the glory of publication, or win awards and prizes. They exist so that the public may gather information, and from that information, make their own decisions in regards to how they live their lives.

I wanted to tell the “Blackface” story from as many angles as I could, so that students could seek to form their own, informed opinions on the topic. Can there really be any greater social service?

This semester, the Whitman College Pioneer staff pledges to heighten awareness of real issues on campus. We will dig. We’re going to expose that dark underbelly.

After all, the news, even on a tiny college campus, is nothing more or less than a profound resource for ordinary people. It is the voice of the voiceless.

And so, as Henry Anatole Grunwald put it, “Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.”
We will certainly do our best.