Many, if not all, of you, are probably aware of the recent controversy surrounding the Iowa State Daily and Student Government.

A lot of different things have been said by a lot of different people, and I want to set the record as straight as I can.

Before you read my column, you should read the editorial we published last week to get a background on what’s been happening. 

Most of what I want to do is clear up some misconceptions that have been going around. 

There is no bad blood between Student Government and the Daily on the whole.

The two organizations have worked together for a long time, and the relationship is crucial to making sure students are informed and aware. There are individual senators that have their own opinions on us, as they are entitled to. In fact, everyone is entitled to have their own opinions about us.

However, they are not entitled to spread misinformation to advance their own agenda. 

I want to address a few of these pieces of misinformation that have been going around:

Our “bias”

Plenty of people like to say that the Daily is biased because the majority of our opinion pieces appear left-leaning. Our opinion columnists do not do actual reporting — that is how we separate opinion from news.

If you have an opinion that you don’t see represented, you are welcome and actually encouraged to come and write for us instead of complaining about it. We are always looking for columnists that can represent a variety of beliefs. 

We receive too much money

The amount of money we receive from Student Government may seem like a lot, but in the long run, it really isn’t.

Over the last few years, we received a significant cut. We have enough to function with a little bit of wiggle room, but we certainly aren’t drowning in the dollars. We also don’t have an “under the table” deal with the Ames Tribune, where they give us money.

That would be incredibly unethical, in addition to the fact that they likely don’t even have the money available to give out. 

Lack of transparency

This one is just a stretch.

I present an overview of our financials to the Student Government, and we are always available for questions. Just because you don’t see our line-by-line financials does not mean that we’re hiding them. My email inbox is always open, and I would love to have conversations with anyone who has legitimate questions. I’m passionate about this paper and my community and would love to connect with anyone who wants to chat.

There are obviously a lot more misconceptions than I can address in one column, but if you have any questions or just want to learn more about our organization, please reach out. I want to connect with our community to make sure you all have complete trust in us. 

Kylee Haueter is the editor-in-chief of the Iowa State Daily.