More Than Just Words - Editorial
The mission of the Enterprise is to report on news and happenings within the communities we serve with accuracy, clarity and respect. That mission is what is at the core of the Enterprise newspapers, and what has carried it through as a trusted local news source from generation to generation.
The Enterprise has, both recently with specific situations and in a historic context, fallen short of that mission.
For that we owe the community and, more specifically, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, our apologies.
Good journalism practices can be boiled down to four points, as laid out in the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. They are: seek truth and report it, act independently, be accountable and transparent, and minimize harm. It is with this last point that we have stumbled.
Historically, the Wampanoag Tribe here in Mashpee has had to fight—for their rights, their land, their culture, their language, their traditions, their voices, their truth. We want to support their progress, not serve as an impediment.
We will do better.
But we come with more than just words of apology; we come with actionable promises and a plan. Today’s edition is the first Mashpee Enterprise produced under its new editorship. Calli Remillard, current Bourne Enterprise editor and former Falmouth Enterprise reporter, will henceforth oversee both the Bourne and Mashpee Enterprises—an endeavor that she is eager to take on, challenges and all.
That being said, we would like to publicly recommit ourselves to our values, to good journalism practices, and to doing the work necessary to mend any relationships that may have grown strained.
To that end, we are working to establish new policies and guidelines for newsroom staff regarding things like language and appropriateness, as well as best practices for combating implicit biases and providing consistent, culturally informed, contextualized reporting that is accurate, especially when covering the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. In educating ourselves and our newsroom staff, we will refer to guidance from relevant groups, including the Indigenous Journalists Association (formerly the Native American Journalists Association, or NAJA) and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe itself.
It will be a process, but if there is one thing this editor would like to make clear to the town in which she hopes to integrate herself, it is this:
I know there is a lot of hard work ahead, but I want it said plainly that I am not just ready, but eager to begin that work. I hope to do so with grace and respect, and deference to the Indigenous voices that have for too long been excluded from the main narrative. I am confident that together, a path forward can and will be found, and I look forward to the hands-on, collaborative work needed to do so. I ask that all readers and community members not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions, concerns or comments at remillard@capenews.net.