The Cougar Chronicle is aware of a recent Salt Lake Tribune article and online petition suggesting the Chronicle unfairly mobilized bullies against Dr. Sarah Coyne. We and our good faith readers are in full support of the article and petition’s plea to recognize Dr. Coyne as a daughter of God, and we condemn all the hate and harassment Dr. Coyne may have received. Additionally, we wish to clear the record for the accusations leveled in the petition.
First, our initial response to this story was not to publish it, but rather to encourage the student to “be the one to speak up” and explain her concerns in a “loving” way. This would be in line with what the BYU spokesperson in the article suggested. Later discoveries about Coyne’s flawed research, which was promoted by BYU, led to the report.
Second, while only one student (Jarvis) was quoted in the article, the information she shared was verified by a second source. We thank Julie Jarvis for her courage and willingness to stand for what she believes is right both in the classroom and in the oftentimes messy public square.
Third, in line with journalistic standards, we reached out to Coyne for comment and never received a response. It is difficult to have conversation and understanding if one side refuses to communicate. We welcome and hope for a respectful conversation with Dr. Coyne to discuss the content of our article. Unlike our story, the Salt Lake Tribune did not reach out to the Chronicle for comment. We call on the Tribune to maintain journalistic standards and ask for comments from all involved parties in an article. We have done so for other professors in an effort to get full context. Some of these reports have been published and some dropped after learning the full situation. We recognize the balance professors must walk in order to convey secular and religious viewpoints.
Fourth, the petition is quoted in the article, saying, “At no point did she promote transitioning or any other practice that was contrary to what the Church teaches.” Evidence the Chronicle has gathered from Coyne’s class presentation, prior research, and student accounts from her class suggest this may not be the case. An upcoming report will go through all of this in detail.
Fifth, out of respect for the privacy of Coyne’s family, decisions were made by our editors about what information to include and what information to leave out when it came to the subject of suicide.
The Cougar Chronicle will continue to work to fulfill its mission to “spread the conservative perspective in the BYU community through the lens of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” We encourage those who have concerns about our methods or messages to reach out to us directly. We also encourage everyone to respectfully and courageously defend the truth in their own spheres.
From The Cougar Chronicle
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
