Matthew Mugmon: The 'DP': Delivering your daily dose of the truth

At the end of December, Time magazine made a big mistake.

In its annual "Person of the Year" issue, the magazine chose to recognize former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

It's hard to deny that Giuliani was, as the magazine claims, "a hero to many, an icon of steadfastness in the midst of chaos."

But it's hard to ignore Time founder Henry Luce's criteria for any Person of the Year, a tradition Time began in 1925: "The person who most affected the news or our lives, for good or for ill, this year."

Apparently, Osama bin Laden didn't cut it. The alleged perpetrator of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is, as Time Managing Editor Jim Kelly is quoted in an Associated Press article, "a moral pipsqueak."

Apparently, then, Adolf Hitler, whom Giuliani joins as a fellow recipient of the now prestigious "award," as the AP article calls it, was a moral giant.

It's as difficult to justify Kelly's choice as it is to claim that Giuliani wasn't an important figure last year. I doubt that Kelly really thinks Giuliani affected news more than bin Laden. In another AP article, Kelly explained that bin Laden is "not a man who deserves to stride the world stage like a Stalin and a Hitler, or even a Khomeini." (Stalin and Khomeini were also honored -- Stalin twice.)

Some have speculated that a fear of causing angry readers to cancel their subscriptions drove the decision. Or, Kelly was worried about the sensibilities of the American public. The face of bin Laden on stands at supermarkets or in subscribers' mailboxes in that context is enough to make any American cringe.

Either way, Time caved. The magazine took the easy way out, giving us a feel-good end to a difficult year when it should have been honest and kept to the special edition's original criteria -- regardless of the consequences.

It's a lesson for all journalists and publications, including this college newspaper.

For me, as the incoming executive editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian, one word stands out as a guide for anyone who depends on our newspaper, or any publication, for that matter: integrity.

As Penn's student newspaper, our goals and missions are plenty. Our status as a newspaper independent of student government since 1962 and independent of the University since 1984 has ensured fair coverage of the issues that matter most to the community.

Since 1968, 34th Street Magazine has provided arts and entertainment news, along with humor and in-depth, investigative feature writing.

Since 1989, The Weekly Pennsylvanian has kept Penn parents and alumni up to speed about the ups and downs of campus life.

Since 1995, our Web site has taken DP content to a whole new, interactive level and has broadened our audience.

This year, we will strive, as Penn's newspaper of record now entering its 118th year, to maintain the high standards of our several publications as they blossom in new directions.

But more important, we will continue to do what any publication -- professional magazine or student newspaper -- should: tell the truth.

I can't promise that everything you see in the pages of the DP over the coming year will please you. You can, however, trust the DP to provide coverage that's straightforward, comprehensive and honest.

From that starting point, the DP can spark meaningful debate that will lead to change for the better on this campus.

And that's where you come in. We depend on you to tell us what you think -- about this campus and about us. Use our online feedback forums and send us e-mails, letters-to-the-editor and guest columns whenever you have something to say.

And to our student audience, if that sort of interaction isn't sufficient, then take the next step and join us. Take the opportunity to shape campus discussion -- and get a first-rate education outside Penn's classrooms -- by coming to our Jan. 15 introductory meetings.

Help us uphold our standards of journalistic ethics by writing, taking photos, developing our Web site and creating our pages.

Or, see what it's like to run a corporation and get hands-on experience that even Wharton can't provide. Finance, marketing and advertising are just some of the areas in which you have the unique opportunity to participate.

I hope that this year you choose to contribute to campus discussion as either an avid DP reader and commentator or as a staffer on the DP itself.

With honesty, ethics, integrity and your help, we'll do our part.

Matthew Mugmon is a junior Classical Studies major from Columbia, Md., and executive editor-elect of The Daily Pennnsylvanian .

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.