Dear Readers,
Contrary to popular belief, the Scroll is not Deerfield Communications. Though many of our articles, including pieces from this issue like “DAPP is Back” and “Deerfield Hockey Celebrates 100 Years,” portray the school positively, we are not obligated to report on the triumphs of a particular department or the administration’s success. To the suprise of some, the Scroll Board does not dictate the contents of each issue. At our monthly writers’ meetings, students pitch ideas to the page editors, inspired by writers’ interests and current events. and when an article grapples with an especially contentious issue, we strive to get perspectives and quotes from all parties involved. Due to the nature of our writing and pitching process, we are not bound to report on certain issues. At the Scroll, we merely strive to portray the events we do cover accurately and holistically.
To protect our journalistic integrity and independence, the only adults who preview, proofread, and approve each article in an issue are our advisors, Mr. Romick and Ms. Delwiche. Moreover, rather than printing through the school, we send our issue to the independent Gazette Printing company in Northampton.
At the same time, however, it is important to acknowledge that the Scroll is not an officially independent newspaper. We are a school-funded club, with all our operations — including printing and even copyright infringement fines — paid for by the Academy. This year, as part of our arrangement with the administration, when interviewing members of the Student Life Office (SLO) and the administration, writers are required to send in all of their questions beforehand. Some administrators may decline to be recorded when interviewed, and all quotes used in the final article are quote-checked (in other words, previewed) by the corresponding SLO members. This practice has helped establish trust between us and the administration. And fortunately for the Scroll, Deerfield has repeatedly stated that they want the Scroll to remain uncensored and free — we have covered contentious issues ranging from Sonja O’Donnell’s sexual discrimination lawsuit against Deerfield in 2018 to instances of blackface in old yearbooks. Even when the administration raises problems with articles, it is primarily due to concerns about accuracy and legality rather than fears about the negative portrayal.
Given the dual roles the Scroll serves as both a fourth estate and a school-funded club, my role as the Editor-In-Chief is not only to ensure the quality of our paper but also to strike a balance between these boundaries. Though the boundaries may shift from year to year, “the heart of all our decisions,” as former Editor-in-Chief Harry Niles ’21 said, “will be the impact on your, our student body… the people we are here to serve.”
Warmly,
Sunshine 陈旎心