The editor of The Daily Utah Chronicle and his faculty adviser worry that some changes being proposed by the task force might threaten the independence of the student newspaper. The chairwoman of the task force that is discussing ways to get more students involved in student media says that won't happen.

The panel so far has not indicated otherwise, and that's the way it should stay.

The newspaper is independent of the communication department, and it should be. Because as well as being an educational tool - and it is a good one - The Chronicle serves as a watchdog for its readers, as any good newspaper should.

The Chronicle reports on student government, the university administration and politics, as well as covering sports, entertainment and features. The newspaper staff's work is not censored by faculty, though it is often criticized for what it publishes - again, as any good newspaper's work comes under scrutiny from its publisher.

But the university, as publisher, holds the purse strings, and could do more than offer criticism, and therein lies the potential problem.

Chronicle Editor Matt Piper fears that the committee, in trying to broaden the reach of the student media, might take money that The Chronicle needs to print the paper and pay its staff. If that were to happen, the paper might eventually become simply a teaching tool, controlled by the communications faculty.

That would be a huge mistake, and the task force should guard against going even an inch down that road. A public university the size of the U. would be shortchanging its students and the community if it were to weaken the autonomy of The Chronicle.

Many fine professional journalists in Salt Lake City and beyond cut their teeth on The Chronicle and have enriched the lives of all Salt Lake residents with their reporting and editing at local newspapers.

They learned their rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment by working as independent student journalists. And, in turn, the newspaper has given students a voice they would not otherwise have.

The Chronicle's role should be protected, not undermined, for the good of all.