Editor:

There is a big difference between editing and censorship. The implication on last week’s Letters page that I censored Robert Daseler’s article in Pomona College Magazine is simply wrong-headed. In fact, I don’t believe Robert used the word "censor."

The truth is that I cut Robert’s story for two important reasons that are part of my job as editor.

First, I had no choice but to edit the story "radically," as you put it, for the simple reason that it was much too long for the space allotted.

This is not uncommon. In fact, I encourage writers to tell their story fully, with the understanding that I will have to make editorial choices in cutting it back to size.

Second, during that editing process, I chose certain portions to be among those cut because I believed they were tangential to the story.

Robert was hired to write an article about Jake Oken-Berg ‘02–not about the Smith Center or career development or his own opinions. There is an important distinction in journalism between reporting and editorializing, and it is never a good idea to confound or mingle the two.

Robert’s opinions about aspects of his alma mater weren’t appropriate in the article he was asked to write, but were perfectly valid in his letter to TSL. It is the implication of censorship to which I take exception.

Sincerely,

Mark Wood

Editor, Pomona College Magazine