NU Pres Bienen answers page?

Many of us probably thought the recent scandal with the dean would (or should) go away. But it hasn't. Some people have wondered on this listserv about the legitimacy of the investigation of the dean's quotes that use anonymous sources because the panel of investigators did not say that they questioned any of the students from the class the dean cited. The Chicago Tribune published an editorial on March 8th addressing this very issue and asking why NU President Bienen has not stepped in to resolve the situation at Medill. It's entitled "Paging President Bienen," and the final question is: "When will Northwestern President Henry Bienen cut through campus protocol and politesse, and tell his subordinates this unnecessary episode is embarrassing his university?"
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0308edit1mar08,0,1400675.story


On Tuesday a team of reporters from North by Northwestern wrote an article on-the-record denials by the students in that class that they talked with Lavine. http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/2008/03/7824/lavine-quotes/

I heard from a reliable source that NU President Bienen and Provost Linzer will meet with the faculty today. Apparently the page is being answered.

Did Medill's dean make up quotes?

I have written about this previously, and thought I would list the media coverage of "Quotegate."

Here's a round up of the news of the dean's use of anonymous sources and failure to prove that he did not make up these quotes:


Congratulations to Medill senior David Spett on some fine investigatory journalism:
http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2008/02/11/Forum/The-Deans.Unnamed.Sources-3200707.shtml

The Faculty writes a petition:
http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2008/02/19/Campus/Update.Medill.Faculty.Issue.Statement-3219644.shtml

The Faculty alerts the dean of the letter
http://poynter.org/forum/view_post.asp?id=13145

NU probe clears the dean, but leaves bad taste in the mouth of students, faculty and alumni
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-medill_lavine_bd02mar02,1,652217.story

Mike Miner writes that the dean is anything but exonerated
http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/news-bites/2008/03/01/john-lavine-report/

A blog set up Medill seniors:
http://www.journalistsspeak.blogspot.com/

The dean apologizes:
http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2008/02/21/Campus/Dean-Apologizes.For.Exercising.poor.Judgment.In.Letter-3225371-page2.shtml

Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/22/AR2008022202794.html

E&P:
http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/columns/shoptalk_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003711614

On NPR:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19055478

The Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-northwestern-dean_14feb14,0,7274825.story
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0215edit3feb15,0,5373894.story
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-medill_webfeb20,1,4134661.story?page=1
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/chi-0308edit1mar08,0,1400675.story

Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune: http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/02/quote.html
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/02/quote2.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-zorn_21feb21,1,6097096.column
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/03/haydens-extraor.html
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/03/medillname.html

Zorn puts the whole issue to bed and condemns the university:
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/03/letter.html

Michael Minor of the Chicago Reader: http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/news-bites/2008/02/12/did-medills-dean-lavine-make-quote/
http://65.201.198.8/news-bites/2007/11/16/lavines-absent-accusers/
http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/news-bites/2008/03/13/northwesterns-president-and-provost-medill-faculty/

The Chicago Sun-Times: http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/794129,CST-NWS-DEAN14.article
http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/795794,CST-EDT-edit15b.article
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/802404,nu022008.article

The Chronicle of Higher Education:
http://chronicle.com/news/article/3954/students-accuse-medill-school-of-journalisms-dean-of-lame-reporting

AP:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gUJc3ZXikXj0X5pdBY0ixMgXkODAD8UUF8TO0

US News and World Reports:
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2008/2/14/northwestern-columnist-questions-deans-anonymous-sources.html?msg=1

Newsweek:
"No one can prove the dean fabricated the quotes, and Lavine can't prove that he didn't. So what now?"

A back story about David Spett's problems with a Medill faculty member:
http://underscorebleach.net/jotsheet/2005/04/academic-free-speech-hypocrisy

North by Northwestern:
http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/2008/03/7824/lavine-quotes/

The Daily Northwestern:
http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2008/03/07/Forum/Forum.Answering.Questions.About.My.Reporting-3266549.shtml>

The blog Gawker:
http://gawker.com/356625/j+school-dean-beginning-to-hate-journalists

Passing Thoughts

Originally posted April 9, 2006
Some of my recent thoughts/events:

The standards of journalism in this country, like its economy, is developing slowly. I'm not going to get into specifics because complaints about people could end up getting me in trouble. But I will say that there aren't the same rules when it comes to receiving gifts, making promises and fully disclosing information. I didn't accept any gifts, make unethical promises or falsify any reporting personally, but there is just a lot of leeway about what you can and can't do. It's a struggle sometimes to assert myself as a professional with integrity, but I suppose it can be good to learn the rules of the game in a place that has lax rules because it forces me to use my better judgement. Basically there's no Poynter Institute to talk about that stuff here. But this is a good article in the Christian Science Monitor about when a journalist should help starving/sick/suffering in Africa.

I have a new roommate, Matt Ford. He goes to Medill and is doing an internship with the AP like I did in the fall. He's a nice guy and we have good conversations about journalism, politics, and then regular stuff too. He's quite the multimedia guru, so I'm hoping he can teach me some stuff and help me set up a website. If I ever get a visa to Sudan, I think he'll come with me to shoot the documentary.

I don't exactly get why CNN's headline is that some citizen publicly scolded Bush to his face. I guess it's interesting because of the circumstances, but I don't really see the significance of it. So people don't like the president...what's new about that?

I have become friends with a freelance photographer, Mohamed Allouba, who does work for the magazine. He loves classic rock (part. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley), but can't get any good music here. So I gave him like 6 albums to listen to. He said he cried when he heard Stairway to Heaven.

We might start a photography studio together, as business partners. He was going to do the lighting for the film I was producing, but since I backed out on the project, that's not happening. But I'd like to continue working with him. He said how google started with two guys and one idea. Not that I expect to build the next google or anything, but I definitely want my own company.

Final notes:
1)Wikipedia is not a legitimate source for information
2)I finished War & Peace. It became an amazing novel, once I got past the first 200 pages.
3)I'm beginning to like old films. I recently watched 8 1/2 and Sunset Blvd and they were excellent.