“Don’t bury the lede”
Legend has it that this journalism clich? was first told to the aspiring cave journalists, who had a nasty habit of putting the drawing of the guy killing the mammoth after the one where the hunters sat around the fire contentedly with round bellies.
In modern journalism, it is probably the top issue news editors deal with on a daily basis. In a Nov. 22 article by Adelaide Blanchard, “Furlough days hit UW System,” the Herald made a classic blunder.
The piece was about state-mandated furlough days for UW System employees at three universities, including the University of Wisconsin. Despite The Badger Herald’s tagline, “The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s premier independent student newspaper,” most of the article was about closings at UW-Green Bay and UW-Whitewater.
The only information about closings specific to UW-Madison was tacked on to the end of the article, seemingly as an afterthought. This led one online commenter to correctly ask: “Was this story written for UW-Whitewater’s newspaper? Now we know more about how the furloughs are affecting their students than we do about how it affects us. Campus tours don’t matter much to current students. What about things we use en masse? The libraries? The SERF/Nat? UHS? How will our access be limited to these?”
At least we know the library at UW-Whitewater will be closed.
Objective Analysis
In a Dec. 1 news article, “Old Ogg contractor may sue state,” the first clause read: “The old, decrepit Ogg Hall has been gone for more than a year now.”
Of course, the Herald does not want to perpetuate the media bad habit of trying to be so objective they would refuse to confirm the sky is blue. Still, calling a residence hall old and decrepit is dangerously close to the line.
But then again, I lived in Ogg Hall once upon a time, so my objection to the Managing Editor’s colorful addition to the reporter’s original lede is highly qualified.
I Messed Up
In a Nov. 19 Public Editor column, Bassey Etim incorrectly identified UW football player Maurice Moore as a linebacker. In reality, he is a reserve wide receiver. There is no public editor to the public editor, so he is writing this in third person. As a die-hard UW football fan, there is no excuse for his error. He would submit himself to public flogging, but has a schedule conflict.
AP Style
In response to a Nov. 29 column, “‘Paper Mill’ plagiarism leads to suit,” an online commenter wrote: “I read the first word of this article, and it is not in keeping with A.P. style. Web sites not websites. Grab a style manual sometime.”
The Badger Herald is not The Associated Press, and therefore abides by its own style sheet that, while similar to AP style, is distinct. This is not an uncommon practice amongs amateur or professional newspapers.
Nonetheless, the Herald would be wise to host some sort of venue where readers can ask questions like these that have never been explored in print.
Badger Herald, Longtime Photo Editor Part Ways
Recently, the Herald and Jeff Schorfheide — like a few of the editors I write about regularly in this column, including Editor in Chief Jason Smathers, I worked closely with Jeff throughout my tenure at the Herald — ended their relationship after some tension within the staff.
The relationship between photo editors and editorial staff at The Badger Herald has often been fraught with difficulties, and it’s easy to see how this happens. On one end, you have high-strung editors responsible for the presentation of an entire newspaper section on a nightly basis. On the other end, a photographer who takes editors’ oft far-flung or ill-timed assignments while working in an office where their profession — photojournalism — is sometimes not allotted the respect it deserves.
The Herald, as an institution, has failed throughout the years to clearly define where the role of photo editor ends and where section editing begins. Both Jeff and the Herald are victims of our failure. As the new photo editor and other staffers grapple with this issue, they should consider the following: “The ‘editor’ in ‘photo editor’ is not superfluous,” former News Editor and Editorial Board Chairman Ryan Masse said in an e-mail interview. “It connotes responsibilities exceeding that of just taking photographs.”
Like the other section editors, photography in the paper and online should be the responsibility of the photo editor, subject to approval by the managing editor or editor in chief.
It’s a shame for Herald readers that the two sides could not work out their problems — his wealth of experience is irreplaceable.
Kudos
To The Badger Herald Editorial Board for putting aside the Herald’s existence-long feud with the Daily Cardinal, if only for select moments, to promote a lively discourse on campus.
Bassey Etim was the managing editor of The Badger Herald. He is currently a news assistant for The New York Times. Please send complaints and comments on Herald coverage to [email protected]. All complaints will be investigated by the public editor.
