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I was approached by a BU Today reporter last week while participating in this protest. She asked for my name to identify me in photos, and when I asked if I could give a statement, she gave me her email to send my thoughts. Thread: https://twitter.com/dailyfreepress/status/1294086536925818881
I was appalled that the University was spending money and resources on covering this protest in BU Today without responding to our demands and sent this email:
She responded quickly and sympathized with my message, but emphasized BU Today’s role as a “marketing site” for the university. More importantly, she forwarded me to her editor...
Once again, he was sympathetic to my message but reiterated that their publication is part of the “Marketing and Communications department” at BU. In general, his response comforted me that the administration were not ignoring protestors to their face then publishing stories.
I deeply appreciated the time taken by the executive editor to respond to my concerns. While he assuaged my fear that administration was acting hypocritically, I am continuously worried by the way BU presents BU Today as a marketing site, yes, but also the best place to get info
If, as the editor says, BU administration has no say in what is covered or written, and the main function of the site is positive publicity for the university, why is this many students’ most trusted source of information on campus?
Why are the daily blasts we receive from BU Today the closest thing to official university updates, unless something goes so awry that President Brown sends all of us an email?
When newspapers and other outlets are independent, there is almost always some sort of university-sponsored site that begins to take on the role of informing the university community, even when they are admittedly a vehicle of the Marketing department
This is why at least twice a week someone tells me @dailyfreepress is 10x more informative than BU Today. We’re allowed to, and want to, dig deeper into the issues painted so innocently by the full-time paid adult staff running BU Today
I’m less upset with the staff after understanding the hierarchy of publication decisions, but the fact remains that BU would rather fund a marketing site than publicize the award-winning, student-run, financially independent newspaper that gets them half of their J-school apps
In conclusion, this student journalist is fed up with university marketing campaigns being passed off as journalism.
