Think back to a time when you did something you now regret. You're overcome with feelings of shame; a fairly typical experience for college students. Maybe you left the house in only your bra and underwear to attend a campuswide party. Little did you know your campus newspaper had sent a writer and photographer to report on this party and why the administration objects to it. The next thing you know, you're on the front page of the paper--underwear and all-laughing and partying with your friends. Another scenario: You get arrested one night for smoking marijuana. The local police compile a report associating your name with the incident publicly. An article about the episode appears in your college paper-online edition included-and suddenly you have to worry about your name forever being linked, thanks to Google, to the time in college you smoked marijuana and got caught.

It would be easy to blame journalists for ruining lives. College is the universally accepted time for experimentation; how dare journalists treat the very students they claim to serve with such insensitivity by posting their moment of regret online?

The nightmare scenarios I've described happen regularly on our campus. As editor in chief, I receive requests from students, parents and University administrators either to not print or to remove names and photos from our Web site that they feel might inhibit a student's ability to get into law school, obtain a job or receive the respect of his/her peers and professors. Frequently, I feel like the bad guy. I'm responsible for making an event they want to leave in the dust public. I have to tell students that I'm very sorry, but what they did is public information, and as a newsworthy event, we have the right to print and post it. Unsurprisingly, I receive angry letters and phone calls, threats to sue the paper and me and requests by administrators to meet them for a stern talking to.

Of course, the Justice isn't infallible. We may make decisions you strongly disagree with. Readers are the strongest check on a newspaper; we rely on you to confront us and write letters to the editor arguing your point.

The issue though boils down to the inherent conflict college journalists face between the obligation to "serve" the community and simultaneously report on it. Sometimes the news isn't pretty: a student commits suicide, a senior administrator publicizes statements about donor discontent, an angry staffer sues the University for discrimination, a student gets arrested for drunk driving. But journalists, whether they write for a college paper or a professional one, must report on their environment while being accurate and balanced. Photos accompany articles to illustrate what a story is about. We can't remove photos that are crucial to a story because a community member worries about what readers will think of him or her after seeing or reading it. Yes, we care about the well-being of our readers, but not at the expense of our journalistic integrity.

Thomas Friedman '75, probably the most famous journalist to graduate from Brandeis, writes frequently about what it means to live in what he calls a "flattening world." One characteristic of this new world is the widespread availability of detailed information about individuals, famous and unknown, online. These "digital footprints," as Friedman calls them, can never be erased and frequently shape the way others view us. Most newspapers post their content online these days, which means journalists produce an abundance of digital footprints. This is an extremely tricky position to be in, but also an exciting and important one. Delivering the news means deciding what the community needs to know. Essentially, journalists have the ability to shape public perception of a person or event. Justice editors are often forced to decide what's newsworthy, which turns into a constant battle between our obligations.

I love Brandeis and care deeply about our community. I care most of all that we remain well informed about our happenings and surroundings. I care that we serve as a watchdog on the Student Union and the administration. Knowing about club programs, the latest decisions on the faculty tenure clock, fundraising and construction is just as important as knowing about campus arrests, administrative corruption and controversial parties. Serving the community means providing accurate and informative news.

I ask you to put yourself in our shoes. Understand the balancing act we must play every week and the considerations we put into every article and photograph we print.