To whom this may concern-
As a visitor at your University, I happened upon a copy of your campus newspaper, "The Justice". I understand that the name is a play on the whole Brandeis theme, but nevertheless, I must admit I was turned off by it. Newspapers are, by their very definition, meant to be impartial means of relaying news, leaving room for opinions within forums and editorials. Not only did I find that your newspaper had numerous articles with slanted views, but I feel that the title would lead an impressionable, possably uneducated, youth to lean in the direction of the editor or opinion writer's views.
Investigation's like the one highlighted by its first page position (Some CAs turn..) should be saved for forums, where a reader expects a slanted view, not held up for everyone who expects actual news to see. Furthermore, this article has no news qualities for two reasons. First, it is not news that students who attend your University and happen to become CAs break rules. They are college students like everyone else at Brandeis, and along with underage drinking, smoking and partying comes a certain disconcern for the rules. Second, the article does not convey all sides of the issue. The writers, who admitted to their literary inadiquacies with quotes like "all the damn time" (p.5), should have atleast provided us with the information that no CA was willing to speak on record, if in fact they attempted to speak with one. This article gave the points of views of a small number of students, whose reliablity must come into question in the same way an employee's complaints of a boss would be, and Resident Directors, who the article shows have failed in their job, although it never comes out and says as much. Obviously the article has holes and weaknesses that should have been detected during the editorial process. I find it hard to believe that at a major University's newspaper there are no editor's who would be looking for all of these things from an article. I must commend the writers of this article for their investigation job, but I must reiderate also that their job went unfinished. By printing this unfinished article you have provided your audience with inadaquate information, forcing them to lean towards one view. In doing this you have also failed as proper journalists. In closing, I suggest that you strongly consider the message that you send with your name, as well as the many messages that you send by providing one-sided articles in the form of news. I appreciate your time, thank you and good luck in your quest for a truthful and prosperous school paper.
Aviron Shemtov