Currently, during times when journalism as a profession is accused of reporting false information and withholding information, we at The State News have to be careful about what we say and print.

Reporting false information makes the reporter and the newspaper look bad, gives the public false information and might harm the image of the accused.

As journalists, we make every attempt to get both sides of our reported stories and deliver our readers unbiased information. Nothing is more important to us than the trust of our readers in our ability to report truthfully.

We have a reputation of reporting without fear or favoritism to keep up.

On Nov. 23, a fight between an MSU student and a P.T. O'Malley's employee left the student with three missing teeth, a concussion and a row of stitches, according to police.

Bouncers told police an MSU student and his friends stayed in line after they were refused entry and began calling the staff racial names. Allegedly, one student tried to push past a bouncer into the bar. Staffers told police one of the friends threw punches and one bouncer retaliated.

Police confirmed a racially motivated insult and said both men might be at fault.

Since we've published the story, we've been contacted by people on both sides of the altercation, each offering his perspective. The student told us we didn't portray him accurately according to the information he provided to us, and the bouncer said we left out key perspectives from witnesses.

Events like this shake up the MSU community, and not reporting on them would be leaving our readers uninformed. But as journalists, it is not our job to convict anyone or build a case for someone else. It is our job to report the facts. Therefore, we cannot take sides. As a result, we report things from as many perspectives as possible, including the police perspective, and leave convictions to the courts.