Colwell: A sickening scandal — but also hope for the future

Student journalists at The Daily Northwestern taught a lesson to their university’s president and showed the value of journalists — not enemies of the people, but as enemies of those in power who seek to hide the truth.

The prestigious Poynter Institute praised the reporters at the Northwestern student newspaper for “some of the best reporting anywhere” in disclosing sickening details of sexualized hazing, really sexual abuse, of football players.

Northwestern President Michael Schill sought to hide the scope of the situation with a laughable two-week suspension in summer vacation time for coach Pat Fitzgerald. Just a little hazing problem. Nothing Fitzgerald knew about. No details to keep the story in the news or detract from fall practice and a “Go Cats!” season.

It might have ended there if not for the enterprise of student journalists in conducting interviews and obtaining substantiating information about the abuse, described by one source as “just absolutely egregious and vile and inhumane behavior.” If you wish, read the stories for the naked truth.

Schill, confronted with the details — all of which he already knew from a private investigation the university commissioned, quickly decided “upon reflection” that he perhaps “erred” with a suspension so short.

The president, worried about keeping his own job as the story and criticism spread nationally, fired Fitzgerald.

The Daily Northwestern students didn’t set out to get Fitzgerald fired. They set out to find and report the truth about the findings in the secret report on the lengthy hazing investigation. Let the chips fall where they may.

And the chips might not have fallen so heavily on Fitzgerald’s head if Schill had disclosed details, including any that showed Fitzgerald lacked knowledge about the seriousness of what happened with his team, and if Schill had imposed a realistic penalty, suspension for games, not just a couple of summer vacation weeks. Anger over the cover-up made it impossible to save Fitzgerald.

I’m proud of those Northwestern students. I say that in the context of teaching journalism courses for 20 years at the University of Notre Dame.

Journalism students are taught to seek and report the truth, even when that won’t necessarily be popular.

Journalists around the nation express admiration for the work of those students.

The Chicago Tribune editorialized in praise for how they “proceeded to do their job and spoil Schill’s weekend. In vivid detail, the student newspaper detailed the allegations, which include ritualistic, even sexualized, humiliations ..."

Graduates of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism joined in expressing pride at the students uncovering what others in the news media hadn’t found and what the university president thought he had hidden.

Poynter has a particularly significant quote from Michael David Smith, managing editor of Pro Football Talk: “When you’re a college kid at the student newspaper, you know you’re going to face blowback if you report something critical of the football team. I’m so impressed with these Northwestern student journalists for having the integrity to report this story.”

If they go on in journalism, perhaps in expanded digital rather than diminished printed forms, they will again experience the wrath of powerful people who don’t want wrongdoing reported. They also will receive acclaim elsewhere when they find and report the truth.

A growing problem is that there are fewer newspapers with resources to find that truth.

A decade ago, would it have been a Chicago newspaper, Tribune or Sun-Times, or a TV channel rather than a student publication breaking the Northwestern story?

There no doubt is undetected corruption and other wrongs in cities, counties and states that would have been uncovered in the past by newspapers now out of business or with severely diminished staffs.

Yes, there are problems. But certainly not with student journalists at Northwestern. They provide hope for the future.

Jack Colwell is a columnist for The Tribune. Write to him in care of The Tribune or by email at jcolwell@comcast.net.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Student journalists at Northwestern uncover scandal