In the interest of improving The Badger Herald as a source of quality journalism, the position of ombudsman was established last semester to act as a kind of public editor — an editor whose role is both critic of the publication and advocate for the reader.

On Jan. 17, Gov. Jim Doyle announced the Wisconsin Covenant, which would "be open to any eighth-grade student that has some level of financial need. Students must sign an agreement to maintain a B-average in high school, complete a core curriculum, and apply for state and federal financial aid. Students who meet these requirements will receive a financial aid package that meets their full financial need for tuition to any University of Wisconsin system school that they are accepted to."

On this topic of special relevance to the campus community, The Badger Herald news department and editorial board failed. Their inability to provide available facts about the plan displayed mediocre journalism at best and a remarkable laziness by the editorial board at worst.

For the record, here is a list of facts not yet included in The Badger Herald's commentary or reporting on the plan. The original sources and dates of publication are in parentheses:

1) If students are accepted to a system school and receive as much financial aid as possible from other sources, but still can't cover tuition, the state would "pick up what's left with grants or subsidized loans or guarantee the student a work-study job." (A.P., in State Journal and Cap Times, Jan. 17.)

2) The plan is modeled after similar initiatives in North Carolina, Indiana and Oklahoma. (Original press release dated Jan. 17, published by Gov. Doyle's press office)

3) UW System President Kevin Reilly estimates the plan to cost between $5 million and $10 million. He and Gov. Doyle have said this is not too costly. (A.P., in Cap Times, Jan. 17 and Madison.com, Jan. 21)

4) Under the UNC program, the cutoff to receive financial aid is for families earning 200 percent of the federal poverty level. According to UNC officials, that's roughly $37,000 a year for a family of four. (Madison.com, Jan. 21)

5) Families earning too much money to get financial aid through FAFSA aren't eligible for UNC or Indiana program aid. According to Gov. Doyle's spokesman, the same would be true at Wisconsin. (Madison.com, Jan. 21)

These facts were available to both the editorial board and the news department, simply by reading other publications or by contacting sources directly. An editorial board piece on Jan. 25 and a news piece on Jan. 26 did not include any of this information.

State Editor Ann Babe's news article is somewhat understandable. She contacted Gov. Doyle's office seeking information, and she quoted UW Communications Director Doug Bradley as saying that officials are still determining program specifics. Nevertheless, it would have been better to include additional facts.

The big disappointment is with the Editorial Board. Their opinion was the first Herald article to address the program specifically. There are seven people on the Board, all of whom could have engaged in research. While opinions are meant to persuade — and attempt to skew facts — the Board has an obligation to include important information not yet published in the Herald. Moreover, these facts likely would have enhanced their analysis. Their opinion mischaracterized the plan and showed a serious lapse in judgment.

After meeting with the Board as well as Editor in Chief Mac Verstandig, I learned that members did not contact Gov. Doyle's office, the UW or any other officials who might have information. They did not ask Babe for more information. They were not even aware that the plan was modeled after three others, though a press release published several days prior said so. While some members may have read other publications, the specific articles containing information not yet included in the Herald were not discussed by Board members. They went to great lengths to characterize the plan as too costly but never included the estimate by Reilly of $5 million to $10 million.

It is also clear that the Board was well aware of the fact that the plan is only in an introductory phase. Yet, the column insisted that Gov. Doyle must "either raise taxes, cut funding to outside programs or reduce funding for need-based financial aid" to cover the cost of the program. In fact, the similar programs also heavily rely on private contributions. And, as noted above, many of the details are still being determined by the System, the Regents and the governor's office — another fact absent from their commentary.

I found the mediocrity displayed by the Board alarming. There are reasons for students to be critical of the governor's commitment to higher education, but readers need facts if the Board opinions are to be taken seriously.

Paul Temple ([email protected]) is the former editorial page editor of The Badger Herald. He is a 2004 graduate of the UW and lives in Madison.