As editors, we did give special attention to Dolezal’s columns — even though they were her own opinions — because she wasn’t a trained journalist. We never told her what to write besides suggesting she stick to what she knew, mining her background in activism and academia. We gave her leeway to express herself, but fact-checked everything we possibly could and on several occasions removed sections that didn’t meet our standards.
Since concerns about her identity and truthfulness have become public, Dolezal has not returned any of our messages seeking comment. We are left wondering, like everyone else, what the whole story is. As one of the many organizations that put their faith in Dolezal, we, too, feel manipulated and deceived. We also feel empathy for Dolezal — she is a person, not an idea, and the global shaming she’s enduring is sizable — but truth is truth. For journalists especially, truth and the trust that comes from sharing it are sacrosanct, and we can provide no shelter for anyone who threatens that covenant. As a result, Dolezal no longer writes for this paper.
