Commitment to Diversity
Diversity in reporting
Blackface, Redlining and Silent Classrooms
An exploration of systemic racism in UA.
In January, 2021, in the wake of the George Floyd protests, I co-wrote a piece about Upper Arlington's legacy of systemic racism. Upper Arlington is a predominantly white community that in the past has been notoriously unfriendly to minorities. This meant that there was a lot to tackle.
To write the piece, we interviewed a wide range of sources, including students, alumni, local activists, district officials, historical society officials, and community members. We wanted to hear perspectives and understand why diversity was so lacking in our community. We also found historical documents and archives that shed light on the topic.
It was incredibly rewarding to hear responses to the story; in the days after going to print, we were receiving comments from students and teachers alike who had been touched by our work.
How's Health?
A look at the UA health curriculum and what it means for students.
For part of this piece, we wanted to look at the extent to which the health curriculum was inclusive of all students. We found that many LGBTQ students found that the curriculum was uninclusive and did not give them the knowledge they needed to live healthy lives.
Marching for Masks
A group of UAHS students protested Wednesday against the school board’s decision to repeal the mask mandate.
I wasn't expecting this piece, about a pro-mask protest, to relate to diversity. However, as I interviewed the protest organizer, I came to learn that they had been harassed online on the basis of their queer identity. The student was called slurs and faced threats.
On the scene, I conducted impromptu interviews with the student, the principal, and the school resource officer. When I got home, I worked through the night before sending a draft to my editor. The piece went live at 12:54 a.m. the next day, less than 12 hours after the event happened.
Ideological diversity
Ideological diversity is important for a publication that strives for neutrality and impartiality. As Editor in Chief, I encourage staff members to voice their opinions through their work.
Earlier this year, for example, staff writers George Bernard and Safia Malhotra wrote duelling pieces on the extent to which protests are effective. I have also published writers' work addressing a wide range of opinions, from a left-wing critique of gun control to commentaries on party politics in America.
Pieces like these help establish Arlingtonian as a newsmagazine that respects a broad range of beliefs and celebrates ideological diversity.
In the newsroom
In addition to diversity in the pages of our magazine, I also seek to foster diversity in the walls of the newsroom. As I was recruiting this year's staff last year, I sought to recruit from all corners of the school, so that Arlingtonian would be as diverse as possible. Aside from the principle of inclusivity, there is also a practical benefit to a more diverse newsroom: when people with different perspectives come together, our work emerges better. During brainstorms, we hear a broad variety of ideas; during peer editing, people make each other's pieces stronger.