Editor's note

Dear Readers,

Members of the Duke community have recently expressed several legitimate concerns about The Chronicle's ability to maintain a diverse Editorial section following the publication of a column titled "The plight of black America" by Editorial Page Editor Jonathan Zhao. As members of the community we aim to serve each day, we take your concerns about how The Chronicle will operate with Jonathan as Editorial Page Editor very seriously. Although I personally disagree with many of the opinions presented in Jonathan's column and understand why they have sparked so much dialogue, I still support his right to maintain and express his personal opinions within our Editorial section.

As an independent student publication, the views and opinions expressed in our columns and Letters to the Editor are those of the authors and do not reflect the viewpoints of The Chronicle or other members of its staff. Unsigned editorials reflect the views and opinions of a majority of the Editorial Board, which is selected by the Chair of the Editorial Board and me and operates separately from the editorial staff. As Editorial Page Editor, Jonathan serves on the Editorial Board only as a non-voting member.

In light of the questions you have raised regarding guest columns and Letters to the Editor, we have changed the policy regarding guest columns to avoid any appearance of bias in the process—guest columns can now be submitted directly to me at amrith.ramkumar@duke.edu. Letters to the Editor already go directly to me, and it is not up to Jonathan to decide which ones are published and which ones are not.

The Chronicle remains committed to allowing individuals to express opinions that are supported by evidence in its Editorial section and seeks contributions from all segments of the student body. Our commitment includes the individual opinions of the Editorial Page Editor, who does not make content decisions for the section's other columnists and guest columns without my input. Everyone on our staff is still learning, and we are working to implement the best process for fact checking and copyediting that we can.

In the coming days we will be reiterating with our entire editorial staff the principles of sound column writing—which include well-researched, evidence-based opinions combined with a thoughtful and thorough editing process—as we move forward through the summer and into the academic year.

I hope you continue engaging with our content and holding us accountable as we move forward. When you desire to have your thoughts on individual columns, articles or campus news published, I urge you to submit Letters to the Editor and guest columns to make substantive arguments.

If you have further questions or concerns, I encourage you to voice them directly to me via email.