Notre Dame student newspaper apologizes for placing Paul Ryan article above social justice advocate article

A University of Notre Dame student newspaper apologized for placing an interview about former Speaker of the House and Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan above a discussion with social justice activist Angela Davis on the front page of its print layout.

Maria Leontaras and Mariah Rush, editor-in-chief and managing editor of The Observer, respectively, explained the situation in an article called “To doing better.” The two explained that they realized their failure to “represent historically marginalized communities in our institutions” after reading a comment on social media.

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“While Ryan’s former position and political stature warrant a top space in a typical newsroom, The Observer is working toward becoming a more socially aware outlet,” they explained. “This means highlighting stories, such as Davis’, that represent historically marginalized communities in our institutions.”

The authors explained that they addressed the problem with their staff. 

They called the situation “an important reminder that we must step outside of our lived experiences to see the bigger, and more inclusive, picture.” They promised to “frequently reflect” upon their own biases.

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During her Columbus Day talk, Davis spoke on a wide variety of social justice topics. Stating that “gender is race and race is gender, “ she said that social movements for gender and race are intertwined.

She also stated that “environmental justice is the ground zero of all social movements.”

Notre Dame College Republicans President Adam Morys told Campus Reform he does not think that The Observer’s editorial decision merits an apology, as “there can be fair-minded-disagreement over which story should be given greater emphasis in the newspaper’s layout.” 

Likewise, he does not “believe their decision was rooted in any racial bias” and noted that the apology “seems reflective of an excessive focus on race.”

Campus Reform reached out to the staff of The Observer and will update this article accordingly.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @BenZeisloft