Quote 'crisis': Profs pressure Medill dean

The heat was turned up Tuesday on Northwestern University journalism school dean John Lavine, as some professors said his controversial use of quotes in a magazine has become “a crisis” and “embarrassment.”

A statement signed by 16 journalism professors, lecturers and the former journalism school dean stopped short of saying Lavine fabricated quotations but called on him to be more forthcoming about the source.

Levine did not return calls about the statement, which quoted a Chicago Sun-Times editorial saying “the easiest thing for Lavine to do now is produce his notes or have the IT department retrieve that deleted e-mail to allay concerns over whether the unattributed quote is real.’’

Writing in the Medill School of Journalism’s alumni magazine, Lavine used a quote he said was from a student who offered a glowing review of an advertising class, something Lavine has worked to more closely integrate with journalism classes.

“They are real quotes,” Lavine said in an e-mail to faculty Thursday, directing them to a link to “a student video that showed students making the same kind of points.”

In Tuesday’s statement, the professors called that explanation “inadequate,’’ adding that the language in the video is not the same and that the student in the video is talking about a different class.

“This matter has become a crisis for the school,’’ the journalism faculty wrote. “The principles of truthfulness and transparency in reporting are at the core of Medill’s professional and academic mission.’’

The instructors added that students, alumni and faculty “deserve a more complete accounting than the dean has thus provided. We call on him to do so immediately.’’

Lavine quoted a student as saying, “I came to Medill because I want to inform people and make things better. Journalism is the best way for me to do that, but I sure felt good about this class. It is one of the best I’ve taken.”

Daily Northwestern columnist David Spett said he contacted all 29 students in the class, and they all denied saying it.

Loren Ghiglione, who was dean of the school from 2001 to 2006 and signed Tuesday’s statement, said the faculty wasn’t demanding that Lavine resign but wants Lavine to “respond in ways that would end the controversy.’’

In a statement released by Northwestern spokesman Al Cubbage, the university acknowledged “questions have been raised recently regarding the use of unnamed sources and the veracity of quotations” by Lavine.

“Northwestern takes such matters seriously,’’ said the statement, adding that the Office of the Provost is reviewing the matter.