I’ve been writing for The Daily Tar Heel since my my first year's fall semester. Four years later, I still find myself apologizing when I say I work at The DTH.
One of the first things I learned about the paper was that the Black Student Movement wouldn’t talk to us. I am yet to write a story where the reporting hasn’t included some aspect of apologizing for the paper’s legacy — things we have done and sometimes still do.
It’s not just our relationship with BSM. Our reporting on the encampments last spring got some negative attention. Our once-prideful ‘Elevate’ section didn't age too well either — why were all the POC stories on the back page? Even some of my own reporting has been criticized pretty harshly for headlines and word choice.
I’ve thought about quitting and I’ve threatened to quit, but years went by and I’m writing until the very last paper published during my undergraduate career.
I’m proud of the work I’ve done, the work my writers do and the newsroom-wide changes I’ve seen over the years. But every moment of pride feels weighed down by the damage we’ve caused.
My hope is that it’s been more good than bad but being on the inside, I can never really know.
Instead of asking for answers to that question, I’d like to leave The DTH with two requests, which I feel I’ve earned the right to ask after four years of commitment to this deeply complicated place.
First, for the people who are skeptical of The DTH — the friends who wonder why I’m still working here and more importantly the people who have been hurt by our work — I ask that you keep up the criticism and try your best to remember who this paper is actually run by.
On the outside, it's one paper, one organization and one ongoing history. Inside though, the newsroom that created the DEI edition is vastly different from the one that got Joe Biden’s attention — for better and for worse. Don’t let us off easy, but try to give us some room to grow.
