Archive for November, 2010

Red & Black Editor in Chief Resigns After Football Incident

Posted in College Media, Journalism, Student Newspaper on November 30, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Update, December 1st: The paper’s EIC apparently smuggled a Vodka bottle into the president’s box, in violation of the stadium’s alcohol policy.  According to one witness, he was also “stumbling around,” sporting a slightly unkempt appearance, and engaging in periodic ”sloppy rambling” while speaking with others in the box. Read more here.

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The editor in chief of The Red & Black, the student newspaper at the University of Georgia, has resigned after allegedly violating the alcohol policy at UGA’s football stadium during Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech.

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According to a Red & Black report, the EIC was asked to leave the university president’s box at Sanford Stadium for behavior described by one school official as “disruptive.”  The EIC, 22, confirmed he had been drinking alcohol at a tailgating event prior to the game, but did not feel he was being a nuisance to the president, Georgia governor Sonny Perdue, governor-elect Nathan Deal or others in the box.

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In his words, “I think someone smelled the vodka [on his breath].  I was talking to people, I don’t believe I was being disruptive. But they have the right to escort anybody out. I don’t have a problem with that.

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A letter of apology, from the Red & Black publisher to UGA’s president: “It is disappointing enough when young adults make bad choices, but when those actions then impact the integrity of the institution they represent, it makes an already bad decision that much worse.  I can only hope [the EIC] and the rest of our staff take away a valuable learning experience from this unfortunate incident- one that will surely haunt [the EIC] and the Red & Black for many years to come.”

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My take: I’m sad about this.  This is a promising journo who has worked his way up the hierarchy of a top student paper and obviously earned enough respect from students and the editor selection committee to accrue a major leadership position. The murkiness of the details available at this point about his moment of indiscretion makes it difficult to judge.

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On spec, it comes across like a case of a young man simply being a bit too animated while intoxicated.  Given the setting and assemblage, it is embarrassing certainly.  But should it really prompt resignation?  As the EIC said, “I apologized. I made a mistake.  But I never would have thought it would blow up to this.”

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Editor Resigns Amid Paper’s Battle with Student Government

Posted in College Media, Free Press Fights, Journalism, Journalism Ethics, Student Newspaper on November 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

There is a classic battle brewing in Bend, Ore.: student newspaper versus student government.  The Broadside, the student-run weekly at Central Oregon Community College, has been at odds with the Associated Students of Central Community College (ASCOCC) over an “investigative series on student government corruption” it launched this semester.

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Among its findings, according to a Student Press Law Center report, “[S]tudent government publicist Brenda Pierce’s boyfriend made over $19,000 in student fee money for maintaining a Facebook page [see screenshot of story below]- over twice what any member of the actual student government made. A second story alleges that Pierce maintained her post as publicist despite having dropped so many classes that she was no longer considered a COCC student. Pierce later re-enrolled.”

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The articles, and the acrimony they stirred, led to official chatter at an ASCOCC meeting earlier this month about possibly cutting student fees going to the paper. No action has yet been taken.

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But there is now a new bizarre twist: the sudden resignation of Broadside‘s editor in chief.  He says he felt forced to resign after an anonymous comment was posted on the paper’s website referring to an incident last summer in which he was apparently caught stealing from a former employer.

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In his words, “This personal issue has been brought to the light and it has had a substantial effect on the newspaper. . . . It is very suspect that things happened in this manner, however, the coverage in the paper will continue on ASCOCC, even without me.”

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The ASCOCC is denying any involvement with the posting of the comment. Regardless, even the ASCOCC’s own finance coordinator is disappointed with the group’s treatment of the paper: “The truth is student government hasn’t been very fair with people.  At least not with the Broadside.”

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A letter from Broadside's editor in chief prior to his resignation addressed the controversy the paper's investigative series had caused. He writes in the letter, "If misleading and aggressive tactics are used or encouraged by ASCOCC members, they need to stop. I understand how messy politics can get, however that does not mean professionalism should be lost."

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Student Humor Magazine Pulled From Newsstands for ‘Offensive Images’

Posted in College Media, Journalism, Journalism Ethics, Teachable Moment on November 27, 2010 | 1 Comment »

The latest issue of the Toike Oike, a student humor magazine at the University of Toronto, has been removed from campus newsstands amid complaints about a pair of images perceived by some to advocate or trivialize domestic abuse.

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As the president of the school’s Engineering Society, the Toike‘s chief financial sponsor, told The Varsity, U of T’s student newspaper, “Understandably, everyone is extremely in outrage about this.”  The humor mag’s editor, meanwhile, said he “almost had to be pulled out of a mid-term” to attend a hastily-called meeting to discuss the controversy.

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The photo illustrations (see below) present a controversial spin on the popular Dos Equis commercials.  Those spots feature the “most interesting man in the world,” typically accompanied by a woman or two, saying into the camera with bearded confidence, “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.”

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The Toike satire shows the same man, seated next to a woman sporting what appears to be a black eye.  One of the two statements attributed to him in the cutlines, “I don’t always drunkenly beat my wife, but when I do, I prefer being whiskey drunk.”

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Along with pulling print issues, the Engineering Society requested that the image captions be changed in the online edition.  One now reads, “I don’t always beat my wife, but when I do I prefer beating her at Scrabble.”  According to Toike‘s editor, “[I]f we could make everyone happy by changing the joke, that’s the easiest solution. It’s not worthwhile to stubbornly stick it out.”

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A second controversy over the use of the word “f-ggot” prompted yet another online change, yet not without much more protesting from the editor and a debate on the nature of satire and offensiveness.

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My take: Humor magazine scandals are cultural road markers of sorts.  In an issue filled with potentially offensive content about various aspects of religion, sex, race, and the homeless, the target of people’s Toike ire is domestic abuse and homosexuality.  What does that mean?  What does it say about us?

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In response to this flare-up, the student head of the Engineering Society said, “I think they [the editors] strongly believe the purpose of the Toike is to provoke a reaction. . . . [T]hey feel that the more over the line they are, the more of their job that they’re doing.”

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What I’m left to wonder: Is that truly a terrible thing?  Or is there maybe, just maybe, some value for some student media, or all student media sometimes, to cross the line, provoke reactions, and get a sense of where we are?  Frankly, it is fascinating to occasionally see what pisses people off and what satire we are unable or unwilling to yet digest.

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Topless Photo Shoot a First for Cambridge Student Paper

Posted in College Media, International Student Media, Journalism, Journalism Ethics, Story Ideas, Student Newspaper on November 25, 2010 | 1 Comment »

How much nudity should appear in the student newspaper? The Varsity, an independent student weekly at Britain’s Cambridge University, pushes the envelope in its latest issue with a fashion-themed photo spread featuring an undergraduate female topless and bottomless-from-the-back.

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The print-and-online spread, “Days of Heaven,” spotlights a lone student, a 20-year-old Japanese major, posing in fields around Cambridge on a chilly, rainy winter’s afternoon.  In the pics, she sports various items- sweaters, scarves, and caps- from a niche knitwear label created by a fellow student fashion designer.  The pieces are, ahem, strategically placed- either just barely covering certain anatomical parts or purposefully revealing them.

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According to a report in UK’s Daily Mail, the attire, as it is arranged on the student model, “wouldn’t be enough to keep her warm during the cold winter term at Cambridge University- but it might raise the temperatures of a few fellows. . . . [One] shot shows her sporting a fur hat and stretching a dark jumper over the tops of her thighs to narrowly preserve her modesty, while elsewhere she reveals her bare derriere as she stands in a meadow wearing only boots and a jacket.”

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The student model: “It was good fun and I thought the pictures had real artistic integrity. I had no qualms about doing it. I am happy with my body although I would change a lot of things if I had the power.”

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In the most-talked-and-Tweeted-about shot, the student is topless, head down, sporting a black fur vintage hat.  It is the first topless photo the newspaper has run in its 63-year history.

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What do you think? Empowering?  Tasteful?  Too explicit without warning? Gratuitous nudity for nudity’s sake?

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My take: Overall, there is an elegant simplicity to the photos’ revealing.  The spread seems to embody the spirit of artistically-adventurous fashion shoots seen often in the professional press.  There is nothing overtly sexualized about the poses.  The student model is a willing, even eager, participant.  And the shots certainly must be pleasing to the student designer.  They show off her work in buzzworthy fashion, although admittedly my eyes did not always focus first on the clothing.

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Murder Reference in Harvard Students’ Yale Video Parody: Clever Satire or Grossly Insensitive?

Posted in College Media, Journalism, Journalism Ethics, New Media on November 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

A video parody produced by a prominent student comedy team at Harvard mocking various parts of its Ivy League rival Yale has stirred controversy for its reference to last year’s murder of a Yale graduate student.

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The video, “Why Did I Choose Yale?”, a spoof on a similarly-named vid produced by the Yale Admissions Office, “takes shots at Yale’s academics, facilities and neighborhood crime.”  It was put together by students involved with “On Harvard Time,” a prominent comedy news troupe best known for its highly-regarded ‘Daily Show’-ish look at current events and Harvard life.

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According to a Yale Daily News editorial, most of the video’s comedy is sound and “[t]he spirit of this parody was entirely in keeping with the . . . exchange of pithy barbs that make our rivalry so fun. Indeed, many students on our campus even appreciated the clever satirization of a video that has now, for better or worse, become a part of Yale’s image.”

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The line-crosser in the original version, in the eyes of many Yalies, is a question asked in scene one by a faux prospective student: “What happened to that girl who got murdered and stuffed in a wall?” The query, quickly brushed aside by the admissions rep at the room’s front, refers to the fall 2009 killing of Annie Le, a pharmacology doctoral student.

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The Daily News: “By making light of one of the most horrific tragedies to strike our campus in recent memory . . . the video’s authors exhibited a gross insensitivity that they may not have intended, but elicited a response that they should have expected. . . . [F]or many in our community, last year’s sorrow is still fresh. . . . Our first reaction was to take offense. But then we were just disappointed.

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The reference has been removed from the current version of the vid, with the prospective student now in dubbed voiceover asking, “What happened to the original line in this video?”

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The OHT team issued a statement confirming, “The humor rested in the glossing over of a significant event, and not in the event itself.  The line was not meant to make light of the incident or those involved, but rather to mock the university. [Certain] students and faculty members have voiced concern that the line makes light of this student’s murder and goes beyond parody. This was certainly not our intention in writing it, but we understand this response and sincerely apologize for any offense it may have caused.”

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My take: OHT is a fantastic new(s) media organization started a few years back by Derek Flanzraich, a guy I personally greatly admire.  The video is high quality, and its spoof of the original is basically spot-on.  One tiny snippet hit a raw nerve, YDN rightfully complained, and the OHT crew rightfully apologized and dubbed over it. That’s the way it goes sometimes.  Satire does not mean never having to say you’re sorry.

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Check out the video.  It’s truly hilarious.

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University Press Snatcher Nabbed by FAU Police

Posted in College Media, Journalism, Student Newspaper, Student Newspaper Theft on November 22, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Florida Atlantic University police have arrested a philosophy graduate student in connection with the recent theft and trashing of The University Press. According to a UP report, Yona Rabinowitz, 25, has been charged with grand theft, trespassing, and resisting arrest.  Bail has been set at $3,000.

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FAU police say one other suspect remains at large in the still-open investigation.  As I previously posted, earlier this month, roughly 2,000 copies of a UP issue were removed from their newsstand bins across campus and dumped in the garbage.

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Immediately after the theft, UP editor in chief Karla Bowsher said she suspected a tie-in with the issue’s content, a prediction that appears spot-on.  As she wrote me at the time, “We suspect- but have no evidence that- the (apparent) thefts are tied to the issue’s cover story.  We broke the news before any other outlet about a lawsuit against the dean of our College of Arts and Letters and then about the philosophy department chair . . . resigning following our coverage of the lawsuit.”

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A screenshot of the cover of the November 9th issue.

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Random Tweets About College Media

Posted in College Media, Journalism, New Media on November 21, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Below is a sampling of recent tweets in some way related to college media.  A few are funny.  Several are serious.  The rest are just far out.  Enjoy!

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For ‘Potter’ Premiere, BSU Paper Becomes Daily Prophet

Posted in College Media, Journalism, New Media, Student Newspaper on November 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

“With seven books, eight movies, a theme park and millions of fans,” a new piece in The Ball State Daily News confirms, “‘Harry Potter’ has sprouted from a simple idea to a $15 billion franchise.”  It has also inspired a temporary campus newspaper reinvention.

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The latest issue of Ball State University’s student paper has been refashioned into The Daily Prophet in honor of the eponymous publication appearing in the HP universe (hat tip to Charles Apple over at ACES).  The BSDN version features articles about various aspects of muggle living, Quidditch match recaps, and a confession from a BSU student about the “unforgivable movie sin” of not seeing all the HP films. A separate teaser also promises “breaking news updates about Azkaban breakouts [and] He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s whereabouts.”
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Along with the content, the fantastically creative editorial effort also embodies the Prophet‘s look- literally appearing with a shifting vertical-horizontal layout.  And, most impressive, the front page (online at least) is interactive- sporting a video report and a pair of photo slideshows accesible with a simple point and click.

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A portion of a piece on a BSU student/Potter superfan:
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Reaching into the bags [in his dorm closet], Johnson pulls out the following ‘Harry Potter’-themed items: two snow globes, four coffee mugs, one audiobook, the UK version of the first three books, four silver and gold Hogwarts bookmarks, a Christmas stocking, ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard,’ a poster from the ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ book release, the 10th anniversary edition of ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ and three ‘HP7′ mini-posters.  Seeing the collection laid out on a coffee table for the first time, even he seems shocked. ‘Wow, I guess this is a little ridiculous, isn’t it?‘ [the student] says with a laugh.

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Student Journalist Spotlight: Kyli Singh, Opinion Editor, The Miami Hurricane

Posted in College Media, Journalism, Journalist Spotlight, Student Newspaper on November 18, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Smokers’ rights.  Students’ sexual health.  Digital textbooks.  The arts in higher education.  Illegal music downloading.  Weapons possession in restaurants and bars.  Campus parking.  The campus shuttle service.  The campus police Emergency Notification Network.  The Amish.  The Tea Party.  President Obama. Greg Giraldo.  Marco Rubio.  Lauryn Hill.

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What do all these issues and individuals have in common? Kyli Singh.  As opinion editor for The Miami Hurricane, the University of Miami’s award-winning semi-weekly student newspaper, Singh has overseen nearly a semester’s worth of diatribes, perspectives, viewpoints, assessments, interpretations, inferences, and suppositions on the topics above and many more.

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For her work evaluating and sharing the opinions of the Hurricane staff and the UM student body, Singh rightfully earns a place in the CMM Student Journalist Spotlight. Below, she discusses her leap into journalism and offers advice for j-students interested in following her editorial path.

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Kyli Singh, opinion editor, The Miami Hurricane

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How did you first become interested in journalism?

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After attending University of Miami’s Peace Sullivan/James Ansin High School Workshop in Journalism and New Media as a junior in high school, I not only decided that I wanted to attend the University of Miami, but I enjoyed reporting and writing. In this four week workshop, we produced multimedia pieces, a Miami Montage newspaper and learned from industry professionals. We had field trips to the Miami Herald and practiced our reporting skills. It was definitely the best experience and sparked my interested in pursuing journalism.  Following this summer workshop, I became editor in chief of Tampa Preparatory High School’s The Terrapin Times and utilized the skills I learned from this workshop.

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Why does the Hurricane rock?

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The Hurricane rocks because we have a variety of talented and skillful staff members. An important aspect about the Hurricane is that our staff members know that a “team” is not all about gold crowns and prestigious plaques. Instead, it is about working well together to produce a paper that everyone enjoys. Because we have such strong leaders and editors who are passionate about their work and always give 100 percent, we rock!

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What’s the most challenging part of running the opinion section?

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The most challenging part is handling complaints from many people who disagree with certain op-ed pieces or editorials. I always try to encourage them to send in a letter to the editor or write a column for my section. I like showing different points of views on certain issues, and want our student body to know that.

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Memorable Hurricane moment.

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A memorable moment for me was when I found out I got promoted from being a copyeditor to the opinion editor earlier this year. When I was a sophomore, I applied to be the opinion editor for spring 2010 and sadly, did not get the position. I was crushed. Instead, I became a copyeditor and worked hard to achieve my goals. I ended up enjoying copyediting, but decided to apply again for opinion editor for the fall 2010 semester and got the position! Hard work really does pay off.

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What advice do you have for j-students who want to follow in your footsteps and become a campus newspaper editor extraordinaire?

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Don’t be shy! When I was a freshman, my biggest problem was that I didn’t know how to break into the newspaper staff and who to contact to write. If I could go back in time, I would have been more assertive and would have tried to get involved with the Hurricane as a freshman. Put yourself out there, e-mail section editors till they respond, and attend staff editorial meetings. Make yourself known.

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You wake up in ten years.  Where are you and what are you doing?

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Thinking about the future makes me nervous. I’m not sure where I’m going and what I’ll be doing, but I do that I will always try my best to achieve my goals. Ten years from now, I hope to be working abroad. I hope to be either teaching or working for the media in a different country.  My whole life I’ve dreamt of becoming a foreign correspondent, traveling the world, and doing what I love most– writing. We’ll see where writing takes me.

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Quinnipiac Student Newspaper Told to Drop Housing Ads

Posted in College Media, Free Press Fights, Journalism, Student Newspaper on November 17, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Here we go again? Last month, Quinnipiac University administrators informed editors of The Chronicle student newspaper they should immediately stop running advertisements from area housing companies.

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The newspaper refused the command, deeming it “a blatant example of prior restraint, and a chilling of free press.”

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According to a Student Press Law Center report, QU officials vaguely cited student safety as a reason for the off-campus housing ad clampdown.  University spokeswoman Lynn Bushnell: “The university is well within its purview to establish policies regarding advertising within its own newspaper.  This is clearly not a free speech/First Amendment issue.”

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Chronicle editor in chief Joe Pelletier is admirably leading the editorial board against the administrative stance.  In his words, “I don’t suspect the university will thank the Chronicle anytime soon for resisting prior restraint. But I care too much about the Quinnipiac community to allow its reputation to be tarnished with any sort of prior review or prior restraint.”

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QU’s unfortunate penchant for student press trampling makes this current threat more worrisome than most.  As anyone alive within collegemediatopia circa 2008-2009 will recall, Chronicle editors and QU admins. staged a protracted battle over the paper’s Web-publishing rights and, eventually, its very identity. The result of that fight: the mass exit of the paper’s e-board and the founding of the online-only indy outlet The Quad News.

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Journalism & Technology: A Love Story, by Bryan Murley

Posted in College Media, Journalism, New Media on November 15, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Journalism and technology are NOT at odds in higher ed. classrooms and curricula worldwide, according to the Center for Innovation in College Media‘s Bryan Murley.  In a recent revved-up rant of a post, Murley attempts to quash what he considers ”the tired, tired refrain that we’re teaching too much tech in journalism schools.”

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A piece whose refrain he particularly disdains ran in September on About.com.  As I blogged after it went live, it is by a journalism educator outside Philadelphia discussing the supposedly growing fervor among “some journalists and educators alike [who] are starting to wonder if lessons in the fundamentals of newsgathering are being pushed aside in favor of an ever-expanding array of tech-related classes.”

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In full, and rightful, attack-dog mode, Murley rips this supposition to its anecdotally threadbare core.  In his words, “I don’t really care whether ‘some journalists and educators’ are ‘starting to wonder’ if something is happening. I care whether something is actually happening. And I don’t see it. . . . I can’t think of a single journalism pundit– from Jeff Jarvis to Steve Buttry to Jay Rosen to Nick Carr– who is advocating such an approach to journalism programs. . . . [N]obody is advocating replacing journalism fundamentals with a string of tech ‘how-to’ classes.”

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Near the close of his piece, Murley underscores his thesis with talk of the cello.  As he writes:

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In the hands of a skilled practitioner, it can create beautiful music. But a cello is a form of technology. Keeping it tuned and in proper working condition takes a level of knowledge about the instrument. Knowing where to fret and how to bow the strings takes technical skill. But you can’t play cello well unless you know the fundamentals of musical notation, of reading the composer’s instructions, etc.  So music instructors teach ‘technology’ and ‘fundamentals’ in tandem. It’s the same in any creative process.

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From the perspective of Murley, and me, that includes journalism.

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P.S. Bryan, happy birthday.  (CICM just turned five years old.) :-)

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With Ad Sales Down, Montana State Student Newspaper Gets Serious

Posted in Uncategorized on November 13, 2010 | 2 Comments »

“Kick ass. Take names. Double-check the spelling.” The words implanted on the sign above the editor’s desk within The Exponent newsroom symbolize a current reinvention of sorts taking place at the paper- one possibly needed to save its life.

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According to a new Bozeman Daily Chronicle report, the 115-year-old student newspaper at Montana State University is suffering an ad sales slump.  Editors acknowledge a revenue turnaround for paper is needed to avoid dropping from weekly to biweekly- or worse, losing its print presence completely.

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Interestingly, in response, the current staff has not beefed up the paper’s entertainment value but its investigative muscle.  As the Chronicle notes, “It has changed from a features-heavy magazine, in which student writers tended to indulge their personal musings, to a more serious newspaper that sends out reporters to dig up campus news.”

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This hard news push has already landed the paper in tricky territory, including following leads and pumping out stories that bite the hand that feeds it, the university’s student government.  The Associated Students of Montana State University (ASMSU) provides funding for the paper, including staff stipends, while also laying out goals for the pub’s yearly advertising sales.

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Staffers say recent stories such as one questioning funding for a football stadium expansion have not exactly endeared the new gritty Exponent to its purse-string holders.  Eric Dietrich, the paper’s editor in chief: “People at ASMSU are not used to being held accountable. That’s exactly what we’re here to do. Some people don’t understand the watchdog role.”

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A screenshot of the cover of the current issue of The Exponent.

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Nearly 2,000 Newspapers Trashed at Florida Atlantic U.

Posted in College Media, Journalism, Student Newspaper, Student Newspaper Theft on November 11, 2010 | 2 Comments »

After a mostly crime-free semester, the thieves are suddenly back en masse within collegemediatopia.  Earlier this week, close to 2,000 copies of the current issue of The University Press at Florida Atlantic University were grabbed from newsstands across campus and tossed in the trash.

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As the UP itself reported in a brief article online, “Of the 39 [newspaper] bins located on the Boca campus, all of the issues in 31 bins appear to have been thrown away in nearby trashcans.”

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In an e-mail exchange earlier this evening, UP editor in chief Karla Bowsher stated that staff do believe the mass grab-and-trash operation is probably related to the issue’s content.  ”We suspect- but have no evidence that- the (apparent) thefts are tied to the issue’s cover story,” she wrote.  ”We broke the news before any other outlet about a lawsuit against the dean of our College of Arts and Letters and then about the philosophy department chair . . . resigning following our coverage of the lawsuit.”

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According to Bowsher, staff have provided statements to campus police and completed an affidavit confirming their desire to file charges.  The police chief told Bowsher he will personally be checking security camera footage beginning tomorrow in hopes of identifying a suspect or suspects.

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The current case is the second reported newspaper theft at a Florida university this month.  Last week, close to 4,000 copies of The Spinnaker at the University of North Florida were stolen, prompting a 2,000-copy reprint and an investigation that remains open.

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This incident also follows a similar trashing of 900 copies of the UP in February, later linked to a student pledge reacting to a story on FAU fraternity hazing.  In Bowsher’s words, “I don’t think it’s a coincidence . . . that both trashed issues featured the type of investigative reporting the UP is sort of known for.”

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A screenshot of the cover of the November 9th issue.

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Things to Know Before Dating a Student Journalist

Posted in College Media, Journalism on November 10, 2010 | 3 Comments »

Is this romantic encounter on the record? Why is he taking notes at the frat party?  When I said I loved her, why did she tell me she needed a second source?

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A new post on the site Stuff Journalists Like offers numerous pieces of advice for individuals interested in entering into a relationship with a student journalist extraordinaire.  For example, prepare to be quoted.  As the post warns, “Since you are a part of our lives and we spend so much time with you, chances are at one point or another you will say something that catches our attention more than normal, and we will quote you in an article or homework assignment. Don’t be upset or embarrassed, be flattered.”

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Four items I’d add to the list to ensure successful student journalist dating:

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KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD. Unlike most teens and early twenty-somethings, j-students actually keep up with local and global current events– by choice and due to occasional weekly quizzes. So read the campus newspaper and New York Times online.

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If you really want to impress, check out the latest journalism news on Poynter’s Romenesko. And be prepared to respond to questions such, “What do you think of Obama’s interest in providing India a permanent seat on the UN Security Council?” or “So, that Keith Olbermann suspension, that was something, huh?”

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READ THEIR WORK.  Journalists are vulnerable creatures. Even as students write more and learn to steel themselves from negative feedback, it still hurts when their pieces are forgotten or criticized by those they love the most.

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So even if the two-page special report on animal laboratory testing procedures on campus does not interest you or is laid out sloppier than Drudge Report, read it all, make a point to talk about it, and find at least a few nice things to say.

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Worst mistake: Don’t tell your j-student date you really like that “writing stuff” he or she does. That’s a one-way ticket to singledom.

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EXPECT LAST-MINUTE CANCELLATIONS and late nights away. Student journalists’ schedules need to be flexible. Midnight info gathering scavenger hunts and newsroom sleepovers are part of the semester routine.

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So if your j-student significant other apologizes for missing dinner on short notice because he had to stake out the student government meeting due to an alleged scheme involving secret payoffs to the activities committee chair, show some faith. Now of course, if he has lipstick on his collar or if she smells like your roommate’s cologne while saying it, I’d start fact-checking.

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AVOID STEREOTYPICAL GIFTS. Student journalists get it. They’re the writing people. That doesn’t mean they want gold, hand-carved, scented pens engraved with their full names, including middle initial. Not every birthday, holiday, and anniversary gift has to be related to journalism or writing.

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During my undergraduate days, I received at least a half dozen copies of Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul and Paula LaRocque’s Championship Writing.

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The most memorable gift: For Christmas during my senior year, my girlfriend gave me a special clear glass frame encasing an article I wrote for the local paper. The frame sported some sort of space-age technology that ensured the newspaper cut-out would never shrivel or yellow.

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It was extremely sweet, but it represented a naivete held by many non-journalists: Every story we write is not the same. The piece she selected for this Walt Disney cryogenic freeze-framing happened to be a page five 10-incher on a local fire marshal’s parade.

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I made the mistake of not hanging it up. My girlfriend demanded to know why. As I told her, “You don’t understand. It’s not a story worth hanging in my doorway for everyone to see. I want that story to yellow.”  She broke up with me weeks later. Indirectly, I still blame the fire marshal. :-)

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Should Student Newspapers Hire Ombudsmen?

Posted in College Media, Journalism, Journalism Ethics, Student Newspaper, Teachable Moment on November 8, 2010 | 3 Comments »

Amid the recent controversy over the Diamondback scooter editorial cartoon, the start of the editor in chief’s letter to readers intrigued me.

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Even before apologizing and explaining the process by which the cartoon was approved and published, EIC Marissa Lang admitted that she wished she had a middleman- a reader’s representative, a watchdog on the paper itself.  Or as we most frequently describe the position: an ombudsman.

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As Lang wrote:

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“Traditionally, newspapers have had ombudsmen- individuals hired to receive and investigate complaints from readers about the accuracy, fairness, balance and good taste of the content that appears in the publications’ pages.  Days like yesterday remind me why having someone to navigate the often-bumpy road between a newspaper and the community it serves can be necessary.  From the moment I woke up, I was bombarded with messages from readers, alumni, university employees, friends and coworkers expressing shock, disappointment and outrage about the editorial cartoon featured in that day’s paper.  But the Diamondback does not have an ombudsman. The Diamondback has not had an ombudsman since 2006.”

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Most student newspapers have never had one.  For many campus publications with small, overworked staffs, arranging an ombudsman or other reader’s representative position is nothing but a pipe dream.

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As one campus newspaper editor told me tongue-in-cheek via e-mail, “Sure, I’ll hire one and create guidelines for them, as soon as we actually are able to hire and retain more than two reporters who submit their stories on time and then finish a stylebook for the paper and then answer the 40,000 e-mails in our inbox– oh, and complete our homework and finally call my mom back.”

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While maybe outlandish from a practical perspective, the idea itself definitely has merit. Especially when mega-controversies engulf college papers, there is often no conduit through which individuals can channel critiques– except for calls, e-mails, and letters to the editor to the very people being blasted.

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Or worse, the angry hordes go to the school administration to register their disgust– sometimes to make a point but also because there must be confusion for some on where else to turn.

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Enter the ombudsman– a respected student, journalism scholar or professional journalist with knowledge of student media and the time and demeanor to dissect controversies and a deluge of reader vitriol.

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Who might be suitable to fill such a role? My top ten list, some obvious and others a bit quirkier:

 

- Former editor in chief or section editor still in school

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- Immediate past editor in chief

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- University journalism professor

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- Local professional journalist, active or retired

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- Students in journalism ethics class, overseen by professor

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- Qualified alum of the school and paper

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- Editor in chief of student paper at a nearby school

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- Journalism student at university with no previous ties to paper

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- Representative of local or regional journalism organization

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- Impassioned journalism scholar who serves as a student press ombudsman on a national/international level

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In respect to the latter, if anyone’s hiring, please sign me up. :-)

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