Come on, State News, give the rest of us a chance!
I was covering the anti-war rally this afternoon for the yearbook (w00t Red Cedar Log!) and when I first started talking to people, there was one guy that said, "I don't really like to talk. The State News has messed up my quotes," or something along those lines.
Then when I finally got a girl who would talk, at the end of the interview she asked if I could read back what she said because she'd been misquoted by The State News in the past. I told her I'd e-mail them to her, but it kind of pisssed me off. Not that she wanted to hear her quotes - it's not the first time anyone has asked me that - but that that's the reputation The State News has created for student publications and journalists on this campus.
The sad part is that this isn't the first time I've heard it. When I was working on a story about ASMSU, a few of the guys were complaining about them, almost to the point of making fun. I tried to defend them a little, since Chad is on their production staff (layout and ads and stuff like that) and they said they thought that aspect was great, but it was the content they had issues with.
Isn't The State News supposed to be one of, if not the, best college papers out there? Why would they then have such a bad reputation on campus? Could it be the students, maybe? Or is it the paper?
Then I think of The Novi News and how much they get wrong. Yeah, some stuff just happens - even The New York Times has corrections - but Novi definitely misquotes. I mean, they once combined quotes from a friend of mine and me and attributed it to her. And I don't even have to go into Fox News.
Unfortunately, this has become all too common in the media, no matter what form. And for me, an aspiring journalist, it's a little heartbreaking. I was taught to strive to produce the best, unbiased, correct work you could. To see other people not do that is just plain laziness if you ask me. No one ever said journalism was easy, though it does become easier with practice. But you need to practice well - you know, "practice like you'll perform it!"
I just wish I knew what it would take to repolish the now tarnished stature of journalism in our society.
Then when I finally got a girl who would talk, at the end of the interview she asked if I could read back what she said because she'd been misquoted by The State News in the past. I told her I'd e-mail them to her, but it kind of pisssed me off. Not that she wanted to hear her quotes - it's not the first time anyone has asked me that - but that that's the reputation The State News has created for student publications and journalists on this campus.
The sad part is that this isn't the first time I've heard it. When I was working on a story about ASMSU, a few of the guys were complaining about them, almost to the point of making fun. I tried to defend them a little, since Chad is on their production staff (layout and ads and stuff like that) and they said they thought that aspect was great, but it was the content they had issues with.
Isn't The State News supposed to be one of, if not the, best college papers out there? Why would they then have such a bad reputation on campus? Could it be the students, maybe? Or is it the paper?
Then I think of The Novi News and how much they get wrong. Yeah, some stuff just happens - even The New York Times has corrections - but Novi definitely misquotes. I mean, they once combined quotes from a friend of mine and me and attributed it to her. And I don't even have to go into Fox News.
Unfortunately, this has become all too common in the media, no matter what form. And for me, an aspiring journalist, it's a little heartbreaking. I was taught to strive to produce the best, unbiased, correct work you could. To see other people not do that is just plain laziness if you ask me. No one ever said journalism was easy, though it does become easier with practice. But you need to practice well - you know, "practice like you'll perform it!"
I just wish I knew what it would take to repolish the now tarnished stature of journalism in our society.