The various individuals involved in creating, maintaining, and overseeing Affirmative Action Debate each have their own distinctive views on the merits of the issues and positions we cover.  We are – in the best possible sense of the term – a diverse group with divergent backgrounds and views, united in our quest to make the website an objective and reliable resource.  Our goal is and will always remain to provide a place where those interested in these issues can find the information they need to evaluate the pros and cons of policies and procedures that are inevitably complex and controversial.  This is a debate that provokes sharp disagreements, and individuals of good faith can and inevitably will digest the same information and reach diametrically opposed conclusions.

How do we reconcile our roles as sometime “advocates” for particular positions, with the reporting and curating balance important for the website?  Imperfectly, no doubt.  Our views on the underlying issues may occasionally influence what issues we choose to highlight and how we approach them.  And sometimes we may fail to understand some viewpoints well enough to fairly convey them.  Nonetheless, aspiring to neutrality and honest debate is a worthy goal, and we think that by assembling a thoughtful and diverse group of staff, editors, and advisers we have safeguards in place to aid us in that quest.  Each of our contributions are reviewed by more than one editor, usually by multiple editors and staff. In certain especially important instances we consult with and benefit from the views of our advisory board members. 

As the site develops, we hope to steadily broaden the range of views and debates we are able to incorporate.  We will also provide mechanisms for readers to give us – and one another – feedback and reactions to our coverage of the issues.  If we can foster vigorous but civil and fact-based discussions among a wide range of advocates on all sides of the affirmative action debate, we are confident that a crucial part of our mission has been accomplished.