Though the provost's office has cleared Medill Dean John Lavine's of any wrongdoing in his use of anonymous quotes, a student forum on the controversy will take place next week to continue discussion on the issue.
In an e-mail to Medill students and faculty Friday morning, University Provost Daniel Linzer said an ad hoc committee of three Medill alumni found no evidence that Lavine fabricated quotes for a column in the alumni magazine.
The provost's inquiry began after a Feb. 11 column in The Daily raised questions about an anonymous quote, said to be from a Medill junior praising a marketing class, that Lavine used in a column for the Medill alumni magazine.
The columnist, Medill senior David Spett, said he contacted all 29 students, including the five Medill juniors, in the class without finding the source of the quote.
After the column appeared, 17 Medill faculty members signed a letter calling for more explanation, four students circulated a petition supporting the faculty and Lavine issued an apology for having exercised "poor judgment" in his use of the unattributed quote.
The five juniors in the marketing class were later interviewed two more times, by Medill professor David Protess and by Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn. All said they had not given the quote to Lavine.
The three-person committee, which included two members of NU's Board of Trustees, found that enough material similar to the anonymous quote exists that there is no evidence the quotes were fabricated.
"I accept the committee's conclusions," Linzer wrote. "While I join Dean Lavine in wishing that material demonstrating the sources of the quotations was readily available, I have determined that no violation of University policy has occurred in connection with the Spring 2007 'Letter from the Dean.'"
"I have confidence in Dean Lavine to continue to lead the Medill School of Journalism."
When reached by phone Sunday evening, committee member Teresa Norton referred further inquiries to the provost's office, saying only, "My obligation is to assist in the assignments (NU) gives me, and I think I fulfilled that assignment by helping the provost."
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Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 7
Michael Davies
posted 3/03/08 @ 7:48 AM CST
As a graduate of Medill way back in the 1960s and as a former editor and publisher of major daily newspapers, I would hope some of the NU students would spend as much time learning the English language as they apparently are in investigating the dean. (Continued…)
Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune
posted 3/03/08 @ 8:32 AM CST
Michael Davies writes, "Fabricating quotes is a deadly sin; so is bad language use."
The attempt to compare, much less equate, a minor lapse in grammar in a spoken assessment of a situation -- saying "that" when the rules call for "who" -- with fabricating quotes and apparently inventing sources is breathtaking. (Continued…)
Robert Pruter
posted 3/03/08 @ 8:58 AM CST
This is a good, but not perfect example of what journalists call a "whitewash." Medill students should examine the Provost report as a "whitewash" case study. (Continued…)
Sergio Serritella
posted 3/03/08 @ 10:12 AM CST
Issuing a statement of this importance without attribution parallels the problem that led to this calamity in the first place.
NU stakeholders deserve full disclosure about conflicts of interest within the ad hoc committee and to know who they interviewed, on what documents they relied and the grounds for their conclusions. (Continued…)
Medillalum
posted 3/03/08 @ 11:37 AM CST
The Chicago Reader has reported that one panel member has a serious conflict of interest, in terms of his family's relationship with the dean. Medill trained us well back in the day. (Continued…)
Anon
posted 3/03/08 @ 12:29 PM CST
This is disgusting. I'm embarrassed to call Medillalma mater.
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