Statement on recent opinion articles

The Flagler College Gargoyle’s Advisory Board met this Monday to discuss the issue of two recent articles that were published in the Gargoyle’s opinion section. We determined that one of the articles violated the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics, which calls on journalists to avoid stereotyping, and that the other article contained mistakes. We also determined that there were several missteps by Gargoyle editors, as well procedural and organizational issues, which permitted mistakes to be made.

In Monday’s meeting, the Advisory Board decided to take several steps to improve the publication. This includes reviewing other articles by the author to check for similar issues, organizing a campus-wide roundtable to discuss making The Gargoyle more inclusive to all students, and developing new editorial processes and procedures in order to prevent future incidents such as this from occurring. The Gargoyle will report its plans to improve its processes to the Advisory Board, as well as on our Web site.

We take seriously our responsibility as a news organization, and our pledge to adhere to the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. We have made mistakes, but we are committed to correcting them and moving forward as both a source of news and information, as well as a learning tool for students.

Brian Thompson, Adviser