Mission Statement
Andrew Cullison
The Prindle Post explains the underlying ethical issues in the news and popular culture. Our pieces function as a type of explanatory journalism, but we differ from most other publications by positioning ethics front and center.
Most explanatory journalism lays out the elemental facts of a story to give a current event greater context. Our focus is a little different. News is often newsworthy because there are significant ethical questions at its core. We focus on these ethical questions. Outlining the underlying ethical issues gives our readers a deeper understanding of our news and culture. Furthermore, we help our audience understand how people might differ in their opinions regarding those questions.
In a way, this is still objective journalism. The answers to the ethical questions might be a matter of opinion; however, what people believe and why they believe it are objective matters of fact.
By outlining these facts about people’s opinions on the critical issues of our time, we work to empower our audience to think critically about their own opinions on questions of ethics.
A truly informed citizen needs that kind of understanding when thinking about the news, and we believe that The Prindle Post is an important tool to provide that kind of understanding.
Dr. Andrew Cullison
Phyllis W. Nicholas Director, The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics
