Letter from the Editor: On the Imperial Tribunal
The opinions reflected in this OpEd are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of staff, faculty and students of The King's College.
Dear readers,
The Empire State Tribune (EST) and the Imperial Tribunal (IMP) have been at odds in the past week.
“It’s not that deep,” a tweet from a fellow King’s student read.
But when an anonymous organization questions the journalistic integrity of what is the publication I am now leading, it loses its humor and becomes something greater than just a joke.
The IMP publicly challenged Paul Glader, Chair of the Journalism, Culture and Society Program and EST Co-Advisor, or “anyone else to write a long-form response to [their] op-ed or even [their] existence.” The aim of the IMP’s tweet was to move the debate off of Twitter and “elevate” the discussion. I assume this responsibility and write with bated breath as my words will inevitably be disputed.
Before engaging with the op-ed’s arguments, I wish to highlight that the IMP is an anonymous organization. Therefore, I find it difficult to interact in any exchange about truth and fair representation when anonymity inherently fosters distrust.
The IMP asks how we can blame them, saying they fear retribution from the subjects of their articles. But why do they fear retribution? Perhaps it is because they know they’ve taken their satire a step too far and would face disciplinary action if their identities were revealed. If they named themselves, they would have to consider what are mean-spirited insults and what is good-natured humor.
During the King’s house namesake debate, all EST news stories and op-eds were published with student and alumni bylines, and yet elevated discussion still came from both sides. Anonymity is unnecessary for satire and should be reserved for Dear Abby and advice columns.
That being said, the argument made by the IMP is entitled, “The Empire State Tribune Has Lost its Way.” One of their main objections to the EST is that it “has made itself into a culture magazine that highlights the passions and interests of a tiny minority of students.”
The EST fosters a learning environment for future writers, JCS or otherwise, and covers campus, city and culture news as well as opinions and features, but I believe they correctly identified the root problem themselves: Many students at King’s are unwilling to write and be published.
“As fewer members of the community contribute, it becomes harder and harder for the EST to accomplish the very thing we demand,” the IMP wrote.
I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, and past editors such as Shannon Mason and Meg Capone have expressed the challenge to find consistent writers at this small college of fewer than 500 students.
Later in the op-ed, the IMP asserted that the EST lacks the “spirit of relentless intellectual sharpening” that is prevalent within the community. To this, I suggest a group of PPE or HUM students begin an undergraduate academic journal like Stanford’s SURJ, Baylor’s The Pulse or Cornell’s Ezra’s Archives, one where this kind of “intellectual sharpening” can thrive to its fullest capacity.
The IMP suggested something of a similar nature, although they seem confused about whether they want to improve their satire publication, start a scholarly journal or a rival school newspaper. Many of these have come and gone at King’s in past decades. King’s also has a literary publication called The Troubador. How many publications does our campus need?
“We call on the student body of The King’s College to start an alternative publication dedicated to the free, open, and rigorous discussion of ideas and current events that are relevant to The King’s College community.”
They suggested topics including the honor code, coursework loads, stereotypes surrounding majors and more. Note, these ideas are separate from the aforementioned “intellectual sharpening” they claimed the EST lacked. Rather, these topics are ideal for the EST. In fact, the EST has published several articles regarding the honor code. So no, the burden is not too heavy to lay in the hands of EST, as the IMP insisted.
Besides, why create another publication when you can improve on the established one you have? A “new cousin” is unnecessary. It will only resemble the Burn Book from Mean Girls or bathroom stalls riddled with graffiti.
The IMP concluded by saying, “The King’s College deserves an outlet that represents a diverse and relevant set of issues with intellectual and editorial rigor.”
I found this to be insulting to myself, the advisors, previous editors and editorial teams. The EST has grown in audience, professionalism and won numerous national awards in the last five years. If the IMP truly cares for the EST to pursue more extensive coverage and include more writers, I implore them to join our staff and make real change in a positive, proactive and civil manner.
The IMP claims it will continue through the next semester, but I warn that anonymity will not create the sense of community they so dearly crave.
Best,
Paige Hagy
Empire State Tribune Editor-in-Chief