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Community Report: Role Of Middlebury Students, Journalists In Anti-Racism

Middlebury sophomore Rostyk Yarovyk holding a postcard of Lviv, Ukraine, where he grew up.
Courtesy of Rostyk Yarovyk
Harriet LeFavour, managing editor of the Middlebury College student-run paper, spoke with VPR's Mary Engisch about recent nationwide protests against systemic racism.

This week, VPR spoke with Harriet Garner LeFavour, managing editor of The Campus, Middlebury College's student-run paper, about college student and alumi participation in anti-racism protests.

LeFavour noted Middlebury students past and present have joined in marching against police brutality this week.

Read Sophia McDermott-Hughes' story in The Campus, here.

She also said there are ongoing discussions in The Campus newsroom about journalists' role as witnesses to history.

"I think its all of our job right now to look at how truthful narratives hinge upon those who get to tell them," LeFavour said. "And the way we have been looking at it, while objectivity in journalism is something to strive for in reporting and coverage, it's the responsibility of all news outlets to take a look at what 'objectivity' is defined as."

She added the newsroom is trying to fight complacency, avoid sensationalizing violence or looting, staying "message-focused" when covering protests, and prioritizing the voices of black students.

Read The Campus editorial about racism and journalism here.

LeFavour said that because of the coronavirus and the nation's reckoning with systemic racism, The Campus online edition has continued even after remote classes ended.

"We just know this is a very unusual summer in Middlebury's history, and there's so much that Middlebury students and the community need to know," she said.

Mary Williams Engisch is a local host on All Things Considered.
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