The illustrious position of "Osmundson" has been in existence for almost two semesters now. It was created at a Badger Herald News Team meeting by last semester's City Editor who was sick of having the team's throat crushed by the Fall Semester's honorable Ombudsman every week. The Osmundson became the defender of the paper.
But unfortunately his stage was only meant for oral performances within the confines of The Badger Herald office. Think of a town crier prior to Gutenberg. The crier was the village's source of news. However, by providing news, a crier put himself or herself in a dangerous spot. Angry villagers with pitchforks and torches are never fun to handle. What a town crier needed was a valiant knight to protect the source of news. The Osmundson is that valiant knight to The Badger Herald's town crier, and thanks to The Badger Herald Opinion Editor, the Osmundson has been granted a scribal platform within this paper.
It is crucial for everyone to be aware of the rights granted to him or her by the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Osmundson applauds and is prepared to always defend the Herald's Editorial Board for being consistent with the free speech rights granted in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
The Herald printed a controversial political cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad that did not even appear in the egregiously vulgar cartoon "South Park." The Board's decision to run that cartoon spurred hostility and animated discussion within the community. The Herald Editor in Chief, Editorial Board and every other employee stood behind the decision to run the cartoon despite the lack of public support from the Ombudsman. They all took the slings and arrows from the public, while the Osmundson was only active behind the scenes. But let it be clear: while the cartoon was a touchy issue, the right to free speech must never be abridged. As Osmundson, my existence relies on the very concept.
As Osmundson, I am sensitive to the criticism of outsiders when it comes to the Herald's news coverage. Thus, in defense of this semester's News Team, there are a few things consumers of The Badger Herald should keep in mind.
The first is that some things — some would refer to them as events, while others might just refer to them as worthless goings on — do not deserve a news story. People looking for the Herald to cover a certain cause should make it newsworthy. It may be a big deal for a few people, but for the rest of the campus, not so much. Crime, that's newsworthy. Consider burning down a building behind the protest to ensure coverage. Something with a visual spectacle for a nice photo, like fireworks or fun balloons, that's coverage-worthy as well. Most people do not want to read about a small group of "protesters" sitting down on a bench next to a pile of unused signs in front of a building where something equally as not newsworthy is going on.
I might add that the Herald Advertising Department is doing a wonderful job. Call them up and purchase an ad if a cause must be heard.
Secondly, I applaud the use of Associated Press stories in The Badger Herald. Here's the thing, guys and ladies, the Herald does not have imbedded reporters in Iraq and Iran, it does not have national correspondents stationed across the United States (outside of our Washington correspondent) and, unlike some papers, the Herald does not take credit for covering events and then give the AP a contribution line at the bottom. The Osmundson laughs because he knows there's hardly a rag out there that does not pull AP wires; it is a legitimate part of news coverage.
Perhaps the biggest complaint the Osmundson has witnessed concerns the games provided by the Comics page. In defense of the Comics, Rocky the Badger Herald Raccoon is one of the most popular people on campus. Just look at how many Facebook friends he has. That said, for everyone who prefers Sudoku to Kakuru, the Osmundson cannot argue that choice, but will plead with everyone to remember that Sudoku does not bring with it the best news, sports, arts and opinion pages offered on this campus. Readers will not be considered traitors if they play the rival's games as long as they read The Badger Herald.
On a final note, the Osmundson would like to remind everyone still reading that students run the Herald. Students not much different from the paper's readers, in fact, except that they burn the midnight oil every night at the office and work there until their knuckles bleed. The Badger Herald employees take pride in what they do, otherwise they would not be there. The Herald staff, in this Osmundson's humble opinion, warrants a collective applause from all after a semester's hard work. Congratulations guys and gals.
Darryl Schnell ([email protected]) is a fourth-year student majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has found a home at The Badger Herald, and will do anything to defend it. However, for his sake, let's keep the gloves on. Thanks.
