Last week, the Northern Star received a letter to the editor criticizing the newspaper staff for not covering events and for covering only negative stories that happen in the NIU community. This is a common complaint, so we thought we’d dispel rumors of biased coverage with an explanation of how we determine what appears in the Star.

Q: Why do you write only negative stories?

A: We don’t. Our goal is to provide information to the NIU community – both good and bad. Sometimes, negative news takes priority to positive news. As a newspaper, it’s our responsibility to write all kinds of stories – even if it is about a man who was hit by a freight train last week or the fight that occurred outside Husky’s Grill and Sports Bar.

Q: Who determines what appears in the Star each day?

A: Every evening, a group of about 11 Star editors – all of whom are students – meet to discuss stories we have on deck for the next day’s newspaper. Stories are placed throughout the newspaper based on their overall impact on the NIU community and their pertinent section.

Q: My group never gets covered, and some groups get covered too much. Why is that?

A: As the primary source of news for the NIU community, we strive to print stories we feel affect the bulk of our audience. Because space in the Star is limited, we’re not always able to cover everything that happens in the area. That’s why we’ve dedicated a space in the newspaper, called FYI, for readers to learn about events we might not have been able to write a full story on. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to cover every event in the community with a staff of about 50 student-reporters divided among different sections of the newspaper.

Q: What should I do if I know of something that should be covered in the Star?

A: Tell us about it! While we try to do our best to know what’s going on in the NIU community, we rely on your input. If you have a story idea or are part of an organization that has an event coming up, feel free to contact us. Also, if you’re part of an organization that has an upcoming event, stay close to your phone. The Star often tries to call sources for information about stories.

Q: The Star is commonly criticized as having biased reporters. Are they?

A: Absolutely not. Part of being a journalist requires writers to approach their stories from a neutral viewpoint. If a reporter has a known conflict of interest (for example, writing about a group or organization to which he or she belongs), they are not assigned the story. As a newspaper, it’s our job to provide untarnished news and let our readers form their own opinions.

Q: If reporters aren’t biased, why are the articles that appear on the Perspective pages obviously opinionated?

A: Writing that appears on the Perspective pages of the Star are not articles – they’re opinion columns written by columnists, not reporters. The Star employs about 10 students with different perspectives on current issues. The columnists and the columns they write should not be confused with unbiased reports and articles that appear in the newspaper. Columns reflect the opinion of the author, not necessarily that of the Star staff.

While the above questions aren’t the only ones that exist about what it takes to operate a daily newspaper, we hope they shed some light on why we do what we do at the Star.