When The Badger Herald published a Nov. 9 article about UW linebacker Maurice Moore’s arrest for suspected drunken driving, it concluded with a quote from student Ald. Bryon Eagon.

“It’s important for students who are driving to know there are plenty of alternatives for them to use, such as cabs (and) SAFEride,” Eagon said in the article written by Matt Marx and Jordan Schelling. “There are safe alternatives for driving drunk, especially with how close everything is here on campus and downtown.”

Some Herald readers were perplexed by the decision to quote the District 8 alder. “I’m really sick of hearing Bryon Eagon’s opinion on EVERYTHING,” an anonymous reader wrote. The emphasis was his or her own. “It’s like the Badger Herald can’t find anyone else to interview.”

Yes, perhaps it is true that the Herald simply could not find anyone else available for an interview over the weekend, but that may be the point. When it comes to issues of lifestyle in a local newspaper, nothing beats a local politician — a person whose job it is to be in touch with the way residents live their lives.

It may seem as if you are seeing a few names being quoted ad nauseum — Ald. Mike Verveer, for instance. But there are few worthwhile sources from which the Herald has to choose, and only so many of those sources are willing to take time out of their personal lives to inform the student press.

That said, it is not unheard of for Herald editors to place an informal quota on the number of times Verveer is quoted. This is not to denigrate the value of having a diverse group of sources, but for issues such as Moore’s arrest, it is a secondary concern and should remain so.

Plagiarism and the Herald

Recently, it came to light that The Badger Herald was slipping on the commitment it made following the 2006 firing of the then-state editor to be proactive in fighting plagiarism.

A Nov. 12 review of Bon Jovi’s album was plagiarized from an independent music site. The Herald was made aware of the offense by way of an e-mail from the site’s owner. The Herald writer in question was fired.

The Herald often screens articles with advanced software. But somewhere along the line, every section — with the exception of News — neglected to require writers to sign an anti-plagiarism form. It can be hard to keep these promises across generations, but this was a mistake by the current staff and it seems to have been rectified.

Missing Newspapers?

The Herald has received reports from its staff that the paper has been missing from certain newsstands. There is no reason to suspect foul play, but there is a long history of people with a particular political agenda destroying or otherwise disposing of Herald bundles. Only you can prevent free speech from being stifled (forest fires, too).

If you notice the Herald missing from its usual spots, please send an e-mail to the public editor, and I will notify the publisher and investigate.

SLAC Story Lines

In a letter to the editor by Daniel Cox and Jan Van Tol, the Student Labor Action Coalition decried the Herald’s framing of their organization’s relationship with the chancellor.

“It is incorrect, however, for the Herald News staff to invent a ‘love-hate affair’ between SLAC and Chancellor Martin. These issues are not about ‘loving’ or ‘hating’ the chancellor,” Cox and Van Tol wrote in the Nov. 16 letter. “Rather, we simply believe that some of the university’s policies are praiseworthy, while others deserve criticism.”

The Herald’s News staff should be wary of political meme-making. (Also, the Opinion staff seems to do a fine job in that department.) But the article in question by Jennifer Zettell did not cross the line. In fact, it was informative, in good humor, and quite well-written.

Kudos

To Opinion writer Allegra Dimperio for her column, “UW: Eat as we say, not as we feed you.” She made use of a news peg — Michael Pollan’s visit — to make a salient point about the oft awful quality of healthy options in UW cafeterias.

In addition, she made prominent mention of the infamous 18-wheeler dealer, which Dimperio called, “a cleverly named entr?e comprised of chicken rings and dip, all for the low price of $2.99 … It has more than twice the recommended fat intake for an entire day.”

However, she neglected to mention that many scientists argue that the 18-wheeler dealer is the pinnacle of American excess.

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.