As stated in the ‘Mission and Code’ of The News: “[T]he purpose of The News is to cover events at the school and to offer a forum for opinions of significant interest to the Choate Rosemary Hall community.” After honing our skills as reporters and serving as associate editors under the outgoing masthead, we, the 100th Masthead of The News, are ready to take the reins of Choate’s official publication of record. In doing so, we inherit a paper that has had its glories, challenges, achievements and controversies. In addition to our primary goals as set forth in the ‘Mission and Code’ to which previous mastheads have adhered, we have our own distinct ambitions and are determined to achieve them while building on the practices and policies of our predecessors and setting an example of excellence for the future.



Others have noticed the journalistic reach of the 98th and 99th mastheads. Most certainly our predecessors have earned our respect (and that of much of the school) for reviving the tradition of the masthead editorial as an independent community voice; for renovating our online edition and for creating a “new look” to the News layout (including an entirely new “Nation/World” page). The paper now boasts fresh, lively, visuals. Bearing the responsibility of producing the Centennial volume of our school’s publication of record, we have a number of goals of our own.



The News’ efforts are sometimes looked at as self-serving; and the students serving on the Masthead, self-interested. These claims are inherently false and demeaning to the work that the mastheads, in conjunction with the staff, put into each issue. Everything the News does is, in our view, for the greater good of the school. We are not saints, but as journalists it is our duty to do some things that may cause a ruckus from time to time.



A publication’s job is to report the facts, provoke thought, provide insight, and, when appropriate, question authority. The News, like any publication, cannot do this flawlessly; however, in the world we live in, and campus we live on, a free and independent forum for community views is vital to Choate’s intellectual edge and moral health as an educational enterprise.



The News prints each week 8-12 pages of news, features and editorials, all of which display the thoughts and feelings of students, faculty, alumni, parents, and the masthead. Sometimes controversial, these thoughts and ideas are what set the Choate campus apart from not only your average high school, but your average prep school as well. Living on our campus are some of the brightest minds not only in the nation but also the world, and it is our mission to allow these individuals to have a forum to express themselves and exercise their freedom of speech.



As the school’s publication of record, it is also the News’ job to find stories and report on school affairs so as to inform the community of issues both on campus and off. Be it a review of the curriculum, new dorms, or the uncovering of a controversy, the News and its staff will be there to document the issue at hand.



By inspiring thoughtful discussion on issues and information across campus, we think that we can make Choate into a better place for both the budding minds that attend the school and the professional leaders who educate those minds.