The irony came to mind after the Daily/GSB mock election when a student (I believe he is a senator on GSB) asked me if the Daily hated Adam Gold.

I found the question somewhat strange, but understandable.

There are some staff writers/editors at the Daily who personally do not like Adam Gold or what he stands for. I personally have never met the man and find it hard to pass judgment.

The irony is the recent tiff between GSB’s role in the mock election and how some feel the Daily is just out to get the Government of the Student Body.

This is entirely untrue. The Daily, like GSB, is an entity which carries with it a certain responsibility with itself. It also involves members or participants that may be opinionated in one way or the other.

I have also been bothered sometimes with what appears on the pages of the Daily. It seems that recently, one group with power can cause problems big enough to overshadow other organizations that may be doing things right.

However, one cannot leave mistakes in the wake of good news reporting, and the Daily will address every issue that may affect most students.

As students creating a newspaper on a daily basis that is perhaps one of the most powerful mediums on campus, it is hard not to generate criticisms or enemies.

It is also, however, a reflection of you — the student body. At least it should be.

Some would even argue that over recent weeks the Daily has become a propaganda machine for more powerful groups or individuals on campus who choose the Daily to vent any opinions or frustrations on our news pages.

This is not true. Students do not intentionally write or place a story for the purposes of being biased.

Perhaps a lack of direction in the Daily or an unseen mission may be a reflection of the lack of direction within Iowa State’s student body?

I’m sure Gold doesn’t want his name in the paper any more than I want to spend another day reading about some mix-up in GSB.

As a journalist, however, I have the need to make sure that any issue is brought to the students and that it is written directly for them and with them in mind. No other newspaper in the country has the interest or the ability to do it as the Daily can.

News people, like myself, have an insatiable desire to seek and find the truth. We then attempt to print our findings in an unbiased form for those to read and and then eventually reach a judgment or conclusion on that issue.

It can be an easy or difficult process, but it is a needed one.

A friend of mine who used to work here for some time and now recently has come to work for another local publication, cites how frustrating it is sometimes when people react differently during an interview just because of the publication for whom he works.

His argument is that it sometimes doesn’t matter much when it will essentially be the same article but be printed in another publication.

The Daily sometimes carries a poor image with it’s name and is criticized for being biased.

Some of these same writers, however, have gone on to work or intern at the Omaha World Herald, Des Moines Register, Washington Post and others.

I argue that perhaps if one of these Daily articles appeared in another publication, students would generally be less likely to criticize.

Hopefully the student body will fully come to understand the Daily’s role at Iowa State as it continues to define it’s mission.

If the situation arises again where we are challenged in writing a biased news article, it may not be entirely our fault.

Perhaps you, the students, have guided us in that direction without concern for the results.

Before criticism is thrown our way concerning a lack of understanding for other groups on campus, come to the Daily and learn about us as well.

Learn what we are trying to do. Learn our intentions. Like the Daily, I too am sometimes surprised with my reflection. It gives nothing away of myself.

Hear my thoughts. See through my eyes. Understand my judgments. Then tell me who I am.

---

John Mullen is a senior in liberal studies from Waterloo. He is the city/state editor of the Daily.