Let's go back to the beginning for a quick second. It's time for a little reminder. As The Badger Herald's Ombudsman, I'm charged with voicing critique of the paper every week and serving as a mechanism to keep the Herald accountable to its readers. In an effort to directly address these readers, let me please point something out. I am not a cheerleader, I am not attempting to pick petty arguments and I'm not criticizing for kicks. The occasional compliment, critique and suggestion are all part of my job.
And with that under our belts let's jump into the topic of the week: the man of the month, Dr. Paul Barrows. Walking on campus yesterday, I ran into Dr. Barrows. He doesn't know me but I feel like I've known him for months. In a way, I have. In a way, we all have.
Perhaps I should rephrase though: I didn't so much run into him as see him in the hallway. I almost said "hello" but quickly refrained. That would have been odd, right?
The news hole of nearly every local newspaper has been saturated with details of Dr. Barrows' goings-on of the last year. It's become rather personal and much of it I wish would have been kept under the radar. I don't know how many college students really care to think of our superiors grasping the idea of a "booty call." But like it or not, I've been informed that we aren't the only ones who can drunk dial.
In all seriousness though, when is enough, enough? Have we reached that point or are we in for a semester of Dr. Paul Barrows news. As long as leaks, new sexual harassment training policies, employment updates and a clear mayhem among administrators continue, it looks like that's what we're going to get.
A true test of a good newspaper is the ability to balance breaking news with the everyday stories. Believe it or not, life must go on even though we have a new celebrity on campus. And believe it or not, some good news stories have also surfaced over the last week in addition to the Steingass report and scandalous eight-page letter.
Wisconsin beat Michigan and the Herald had excellent coverage of the game in addition to a stellar photo essay in Monday's paper.
Also in news (not all good): Madison's smoking ban isn't going anywhere. FEMA denied aid to victims of the Stoughton-area tornado. Halloween plans continue and — did I read this news item correctly? — UW is going to be notifying parents of students when that student has an out of control drinking episode? Interesting.
The fact that I'm asking that question though is quite clearly the problem. I read a myriad of newspapers a day but I've been so overwhelmed with local Barrows news and national hurricane news that I can barely keep anything else straight. If my head is spinning, I can only imagine the anxiety my peers in the Herald's news department are facing.
But it just doesn't matter. You need to keep your readers engaged. Tell us why we should care, how these news stories affect us and what's approaching. Don't let all of the other news infiltrating into UW simply go unnoticed. It's your job as editors and reporters to get the word out.
My advice from last week also stands though, and applies again this week. Not everything you stumble across or dig up is news. And I'm pretty sure most UW students are slightly more concerned right now with the upcoming Halloween riots … er, celebrations … than Barrows' sex life. So please keep that in mind and those juicy details out of the paper. I'd rather not throw out that tabloid comment again…
Cristina Daglas, former editor in chief of The Badger Herald, is now the paper's ombudsman. Readers are encouraged to e-mail thoughts, criticisms and observations of the paper to [email protected] or call her at (608) 257-4712 ext. 168. Her column will appear every Thursday on this page.
