Dear TC Mask: Drop the mask, start being funny or least make sense next time you write. Or else, I’ll see you at the nearest arena, you cowardly luchador. Truly yours, the public editor.
The Monday column “Greek issues need old school solution” was a clear affront to the editorial standards The Badger Herald’s opinion section should stand for.
The column, written by self-proclaimed luchador “TC Mask,” hardly makes a point. The writer takes a stab at the fraternity community, though he doesn’t mention any University of Wisconsin frats. And aside from playing a couple of old jokes on stereotypes, the column takes the reader nowhere.
An online commenter summarized my thoughts after reading this column. “Thank you for taking five minutes of my life that I will never get back.”
Precisely.
The real problem is the column’s anonymity. It poses the question: What happened to the Herald’s policy of not printing anonymous content?
The last time the Herald granted anonymity to a columnist was in light of the Virginia Tech massacre in April 2007. In the April 23 column, titled “Attempting to understand a troubled mind,” a UW student wrote about the deeply rooted issues that could cause someone to shoot and kill dozens of people.
Then Editor-in-Chief Taylor Hughes explained why the Herald ran the column without a name.
“Our decision to print today’s column about Virginia Tech without providing an author violates The Badger Herald’s policy against printing anonymous content,” Hughes wrote. “There is a difference, however, in that the author has expressed a point of view that most who share such feelings would not be quick to publicize, and for that very reason I find it particularly valuable in the grand marketplace of ideas.”
That was not the case with Monday’s piece.
Editor-in-Chief Jason Smathers said the TC Mask piece was intended to be a satirical take on issues relevant to the UW community and that the writer is hardly anonymous.
“He has an e-mail; we know who he is,” he added. “If push comes to shove, we can always break the mystique.”
A couple of readers pointed out the guy is a self-proclaimed luchador wearing a mask, so why should we take him seriously?
Maybe the real question is: Who can take The Badger Herald seriously when it blatantly breaks its policy against printing anonymous content and allows a pointless satirical piece to run in a section reserved for coherent, meaningful discourse?
Perhaps the problem is the Herald’s lack of opinion writers. Smathers said the section is struggling to find competent writers to opine on local issues.
And perhaps there is a lack of appropriate space for this column, whose writer originally pitched the idea to this newspaper’s ArtsEtc. section.
Either way, this public editor strongly suggests The Badger Herald publishes the writer’s name to fall back into compliance with its editorial policies.
And if not, at least publish his Wiscmail address and not a shady Gmail.
Conflicts of interest should be avoided, or at least disclose writers’ biases
Speaking of hiding behind a mask, the Herald should be careful when its staff write about issues or organizations they are connected to, and when that happens, this newspaper should disclose the writers’ affiliations.
The Feb. 24 column by Associated Students of Madison Press Office Director Ken Harris, a former Herald news editor, should have included a disclaimer notifying the reader of Harris’ connection to UW’s student government.
Harris’ guest column was informative and timely. And despite his connection with ASM, I appreciate his attempt to let students know about an important city issue.
But readers should have had the chance to know about Harris’ ASM connection and decide what to make of the piece.
Likewise, a March 3 letter to the editor should have included a disclaimer about the writer’s past affiliation with this newspaper. Jonah Braun, a former Herald sports editor, wrote critically about this newspaper’s decision to not remove an online advertisement from a Holocaust denier.
Smathers said the disclaimer on Braun’s piece “wasn’t intrinsic to the piece,” but “absolutely should’ve been attached.”
To the Herald’s credit, this newspaper has done, at times, a nice job of disclosing conflicts of interest.
The Feb. 17 article “Student group says Nat in need of major change,” by Senior News Reporter Alicia Yager included a much-needed disclaimer.
“Alicia Yager currently works in the press office of ASM,” the note read. “All interviews and reporting in this in-depth in relation to ASM were conducted and written by Deputy News Editor Kyle Mianulli to eliminate any possible bias.”
Yager, along with Senior News Reporter Marie Puissant, are associate press office directors at ASM, a position they have held since February.
Yager and Puissant’s ASM connection is troublesome, but so far has been harmless. Still, I would suggest News Editor Alex Brousseau closely monitors the two reporters to keep them far from ASM reporting.
This is no witch hunt. As Smathers pointed out, “It’s difficult to say, OK, you have a conflict of interest so, bye-bye.”
But it’s important to be fully honest with readers because credibility is the foundation of the relationship between a publication and its audience.
As is true for life and is even truer in the newspaper business, a thousand right deeds don’t make up for one wrong move. This newspaper should continue to improve on disclosing conflicts of interest.
Kudos
This week’s compliments from the desk of the public editor go to former Photo Editor Jeff Schorfheide and current Photo Editor Lukas Keapproth, who took home several top awards from the Wisconsin News Photographers Association. Nicely done.
Pedro Oliveira Jr. is a former news editor of The Badger Herald. He is currently a news reporter at The Janesville Gazette. Please send complaints and comments on Herald coverage to [email protected]. All complaints will be investigated by the public editor.
