Northwestern dean responds

via the Chicago Tribune...

John Lavine, 67, told the Tribune on Wednesday that the quotes "came from real people," though he couldn't recall whether they were provided by e-mail or during face-to-face conversations.

He defended his use of anonymous quotes by drawing a distinction between a news story and a "letter" to alumni in a magazine.

"Context is all-important. I wasn't doing a news story. I wasn't covering the news," Lavine said. "When I write news stories, I am as careful and thorough about sources as anyone you will find. ... This is not a news story. This is a personal letter."

Lavine said he takes notes in a reporter's notebook when he meets with students and also receives student feedback by e-mail, but he said he couldn't provide the e-mails because they had been deleted.

"It never dawned on me that I would have reason to keep them," he said.

"I am not about to defend my veracity," he later said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-northwestern-dean_14feb14,0,5864109,full.story

- Wow, is this guy feeling the heat or what? But it's for good reason. In the dean's case, he is the leader of a journalism school, a renowned one at that, and should always exhibit the methods and ethics that are preached to his students, regardless if it's a letter or news story that is being published. If it's an alumni magazine, that means it's being sent to a host of journalist, who would expect to nothing but professionalism from their former school. To me the dean looks like a hypocrypt, not to mention I side with those against the curriculum change he implemented that requires journalism students to learn about advertising and marketing. There is a wall of division between the newsroom and advertising in the professional world so why is it being blurred at the educational level?