Spring Break
OMBUDSMAN: Continuity errors, omissions and sloppy copy editing
by Farrelly, Maura
Ombudsman | 9/4/07
Posted online at 10:56 PM EST on 9/3/07
/ Last updated at 12:00 AM EST on 9/3/07
One of the many challenges facing college newspapers is the issue of continuity. Staff turnaround is high, not just because students graduate or transfer, but also because many college newspapers rely on volunteer reporters, not all of whom exhibit the same level of dedication to the paper's mission. On top of that, there is the standard summer recess to be considered. Most college newspapers are like the Justice, in that they don't publish for nearly four months while the students are away from campus. This can, unfortunately, lead to loose ends' being left untied, if the paper's staff is not careful at the start of a new academic year to follow up on issues that arose in the university community just as the previous year was drawing to a close
I therefore commend Editor-in-Chief Rachel Marder for her two front-page stories on the steps the University has taken-or is considering taking-to increase security on campus, in the wake of last April's tragic shootings at Virginia Tech. The issue of whether campus police should be armed with guns is still unresolved, and the Justice has done a fine job of informing students about the progress that was made over the summer toward settling this debate. The paper also took up the issue in one of its editorials this past week.
One loose end from last year that was not explored in this past week's issue of the Justice, but which I hope will be explored in future issues, is the question of what is happening on campus to ensure that incidents like last year's publication of a racially insensitive ad in a campus humor magazine do not happen again. Last May, the Justice reported that the editors of Gravity Magazine would not be publishing any issues in the fall, but would be using the time instead to formulate and implement a more professional editorial process ("Comedic magazine to hold publishing next fall," May 22 issue). I look forward to reading about the progress that is made on this front, but I also believe that the problem of myopia revealed by the so-called "Gravity incident" cannot be fixed simply with a new set of editorial policies. I know that the administration and many students are quite interested in exploring how the coverage offered by Brandeis' numerous student-run publications might be made more inclusive, and I hope the Justice will cover-and encourage-the efforts of these faculty, staff and students.
I therefore commend Editor-in-Chief Rachel Marder for her two front-page stories on the steps the University has taken-or is considering taking-to increase security on campus, in the wake of last April's tragic shootings at Virginia Tech. The issue of whether campus police should be armed with guns is still unresolved, and the Justice has done a fine job of informing students about the progress that was made over the summer toward settling this debate. The paper also took up the issue in one of its editorials this past week.
One loose end from last year that was not explored in this past week's issue of the Justice, but which I hope will be explored in future issues, is the question of what is happening on campus to ensure that incidents like last year's publication of a racially insensitive ad in a campus humor magazine do not happen again. Last May, the Justice reported that the editors of Gravity Magazine would not be publishing any issues in the fall, but would be using the time instead to formulate and implement a more professional editorial process ("Comedic magazine to hold publishing next fall," May 22 issue). I look forward to reading about the progress that is made on this front, but I also believe that the problem of myopia revealed by the so-called "Gravity incident" cannot be fixed simply with a new set of editorial policies. I know that the administration and many students are quite interested in exploring how the coverage offered by Brandeis' numerous student-run publications might be made more inclusive, and I hope the Justice will cover-and encourage-the efforts of these faculty, staff and students.
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