The Hullabaloo prides itself on holding the Tulane community to high standards. We seek to hold it accountable and expect transparency. We have looked inward this past year, made many changes and found that we have not held ourselves to these same standards.

Sometimes journalists write what we want to read. We lose sight of writing what the community wants to know or, at times, needs to hear. We understand the way our organization works, but do not share that with others. Media, frequently and quite hypocritically, expects the truth from everyone but themselves.

A newspaper is a reflection of its community. Both the New Orleans and Tulane communities are vast collections of identities and viewpoints, yet we have not captured that.

We can not hope to portray a community we are not fully integrated into, and we can not hope to succeed without the community’s trust.

The first step to correct our oversights is our new multicultural content section, Intersections, which began publishing in December. This section will encompass all the stories that our community needs and desires to hear.

We will reduce the environmental impact our weekly paper produces. The Hullabaloo has transitioned to a new printer, Baton Rouge Press, and is making a commitment to using recycled materials for our print edition and recycling copies left on the racks.

We are examining how we interact with our readers through social media and our website. Our website was hard to navigate and lacked details about The Hullabaloo. We have moved to a new website that allows us to tell the community’s stories but also encourages conversation. The Hullabaloo’s website now contains information about its history, staff and details about how to contribute. We encourage readers to interact with The Hullabaloo.

The Hullabaloo’s governing documents and policies will be available to the public on this website. We are currently revising them, but in the coming months, anyone will be able to see who we are and the standards we strive to uphold. The Hullabaloo is becoming more than a one-way information system.

There is still much work to be done both internally and as a source of information for Tulane’s community. It is my hope, however, that The Hullabaloo and the community we serve will grow closer in the months ahead.

For all Tulanians, it is important that in a time of doubt and distrust in the media, we aim higher and lead with integrity. We want to hear from you. What can we achieve together?

Brandi Doyal
Editor-in-Chief