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Wednesday, Octobbr ia. aoio | The Red a Black
OmM Biwiwtt | Editor in Chier editor@randb.com
Cwj O'Nai | Managing Editor me@randb.com
Courtney IMbraoh | Opinions Editor opinions@randb.com
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Our Take
Majority opinions of The Red & Black’s editorial board
Report the news
The job of any journalist is to cover the
news —and well do it, no matter what
On Tuesday, we received letters from readers
upset at us for writing about the additional
details of running back Caleb King’s arrest. They
were upset at our reporter for reporting the facts.
They were upset at our editors for allowing the
story to go to print. They even questioned our
school pride by calling us “The Orange & Blue.”
We have heard your complaints, and feel you
deserve an explanation of our thought process.
Let me be clear: The purpose of this newspa
per is not to defame athletes, or any other person
on campus.
However, the job of a newspaper is not to only
print the stories that put our team in a positive
spotlight. We’re not cheerleaders.
The job of a newspaper is not to sit idly by as
allegations of hazing flow into our newsroom like
Natty Light from a fraternity party keg. Pi Kappa
Phi, anyone?
The job of a newspaper is not to ignore com
plaints of sexual harassment from a tenured pro
fessor in the College of Education. Anyone
remember William Bender?
The job of a newspaper is to tell the news as
accurately as possible, and that’s how we serve
our readers.
Some called it sensationalism —but we’re not
here hacking into e-mail addresses to scour for
juicy tidbits. We’re not here to sensationalize
hearsay and rumor about illegal activities.
We’re here to investigate illegal activities by
looking at the documents and speaking with offi
cials about the pews you our readers have a
right to hear about.
And often, it’s hyper-local news that no other
media agency has the capability or resources to
cover.
The Athens Banner-Herald has one beat
reporter covering the University. The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution has zero. Our readers have
only one watchdog of the University administra
tion and people who break the law —and that’s
The Red & Black.
We’ve received letters lambasting The Red &
Black for spreading bad news about other stu
dents, specifically King.
In a letter to the editor Tuesday about our
cartoons, a reader asked “why is the STUDENT
newspaper attacking fellow STUDENTS?”
Following that logic, why would the Washington
Post print stories about misconduct from con
gressmen? Or senators? (5r the president?
Would readers prefer an American newspaper
never attack fellow Americans?
A newspaper has the obligation to print sto
ries because it’s the right thing to do, and
because it’s something readers have a right to
know about. The nature of journalism doesn’t
come down to allegiances to a specific school,
state or country.
A newspaper’s only allegiances are to the truth
and to you our reader who we are here to
serve.
Most students would prefer if we publish a
story about the professor who’d been sexually
harassing students for 20 years Bender was
still teaching in the classroom after the University
found out about his classroom misconduct. The
next semester, when The Red & Black published
stories about him asking a female student to join
him in his lake house hot tub where he “doles]
freaky things,” he was still teaching online cours
es.
And if we didn’t tell you our readers what
was going on, we would be doing you a great dis
service.
We also believe you have a right to know that a
female filed a police report against King for
threatening to post “nude pictures and video” of
her on the Internet after allegedly not paying
back a loan.
We know our readers are educated students
who are interested in police reports about foot
ball stars many cheer for on gameday. We believe
you have a right to know the details of reports of
illegal behavior.
Just as most Americans understand it’s a
newspaper’s job to report presidential miscon
duct even if that negatively reflects on the
nation we believe most students understand
that it is the job of this newspaper to report
alleged illegal misconduct of those in the
University spotlight even if that leads to a
more negative view of the football team.
The Red & Black is not the public relations
team of the University any more than The New
York Times is the public relations firm of the
United States. Our responsibility to you is to
report the facts —and to let you be the judge of
any alleged illegal activities.
We believe this is how your student newspaper
can best serve you.
Daniel Burnett for the editorial board
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Opinions
Tough job market, tougher choices
I’m a long-range planner. I buy
Christmas gifts in July. So, nat
urally, how to approach the job
market when I graduate in
December already is a daily
thought for me. Actually, I’m preoc
cupied by it.
This summer, I lost my part-time
job, which provided money for
tuition, day care for my two chil
dren and the mortgage. We are now
a four-person household dependent
on a police officer’s salary (which
isn’t much).
I had to think deeply prior to
this semester: Do I sit out this
semester or plug on to graduate
with the journalism degree I’ve
wanted since high school— more
than 20 years ago?
When I graduate, can my family
afford for me to do the necessary
intemship/position which may pay
little or nothing?
Assuming a job is available,
should I take a reporting job at the
bottom of the ladder?
My dilemma makes it harder to
get in the swing of my last semes
ter here at the University. I should
be excited.
But with graduation looming
and uncertainty in the job market,
I’m antsy.
Taking this semester off was dis
missed quickly —but not by me.
By my husband.
“You’ve come this far,” he said.
Mailbox
E-mail and letters from our readers
Readers respond in anger over football coverage
I’m disgraced with what this
newspaper has become, along with
a portion of the student body.
The article published Tuesday
about Caleb King (“Accusations
piling up for running back King.”
Oct. 12) was a pitiflxl attempt to
attract attention to the newspaper.
The part about being lent money
and not repaying is certainly not
publication worthy.
Are there not more pressing
matters in the world, university or
athletic program? The issue with
the girl and photos is over and
done with, but heck, why not kick a
fellow student when down, right?
And you students who show up
halfway through the football games
or don’t come at all. what better do
you have to do on a beautiful and
sunny fall afternoon?
Nothing. Your Magic the
Gathering games can wait, and if
not, you belong in Atlanta at GT!
RYAN HOLZER
Alumnus, Atlanta
Sociology
One of The Red & Black's most
recent articles struck a nerve with
me. One of your writers, Jacob
Demmitt, wrote a story talking
about the most recent arrest of
Caleb King. It was appalling to me
to see that a newspaper would be
willing to publish a story about a
person using information that was
never pronounced as fact. Maybe it
was a reporter trying to figure out a
way to make a name for himself or
Our Staff
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Ruaaak, Adam Wynn
* Chari
Sutherland
“Don’t quit now.”
So we reassessed everything:
Could we cut our budget? Should I
take out a student loan? Which of
us could be home with the kids so
day care could be avoided?
We answered “yes” to the first
two questions and “both of us,
alternately” to the last.
Most new newspaper reporters
earn less than I did as a part-time
speech therapist. A newsroom sala
ry probably will cover gas for my
car and day care costs, but that’s
all.
Will our creditors wait for me to
climb that ladder of success, to a
larger paycheck? Should I stay at
home with the kids or take a job
that may not be financially reward
ing for at least a year or more?
Then there is my trepidation
about the job market. In 18 years of
being employed, I never had to
search for jobs. They always fell
into my lap.
I know of two recent Grady
graduates who moved out of state
to find jobs.
Both said, “A job is a job.”
But moving is not an option for
herself? Maybe the editor pencil
whipped the approval to let it slide
on through? Who knows...
It appears to me that even The
Red St Black, although not spon
sored by the University of Georgia
(which I can obviously see why at
this point), chose to run an article
that not only defames one of the
team’s players, but also spreads
rumors that were never substanti
ated by the authorities, thus the
reason that they never charged
him. But the institution that is
known as the “The Red Si Black”
which are also the team colors for
our beloved team, feels it is appro
priate to do what it can to bring
negative attention to them.
You know, something that is
actually newsworthy in this day
and time is the fact that out of the
roughly 35,000 students that attend
the University, the ACC police force
actually finds itself in prime posi
tion to find “severe” (read that
with great sarcasm Intended) acts
of criminal activity being perpetu
ated by our players (traffic viola
tions on scooters, traffic violations
period, underage drinking, etc).
Why is that, one asks? Maybe
that would be a good story for your
publication.
All of the acts above are dealt
with by a written citation at all
other SEC Institutions of higher
learning, but at our esteemed uni
versity the violators are arrested.
Here is another. With the big
to-do that was made by not only
The Orange St Blue oops sorry, I
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ADVERTISING: 706-433-3001
AdvtrtWng Director: Natan* McClure
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Phone (706) 483-3002 | Fax (706) 433-3033
opinlonß@r&ndb.com | www.redandblack.oom
540 Baxter Street, Athens, Ga. 30605
me.
Recent searches on careerbuild
er.com and Monsteijobs.com
offered no newspaper reporting
jobs. I fear becoming a “discour
aged worker”: someone who
searches and searches for a job
until they bum out.
Should I stay home nursing my
rtsum6 and carting my kids here
and there?
I share three conclusions in
hopes they will help you:
1. I have to pre-plan. I’m updat
ing my r6sum6 for review by the
Career Center. I’m amping up my
Facebook “friends" and Linkedln
“connections” to include University
alumni and professionals who may
be able to point me to the right job.
2. I cannot listen to doom and
gloom reports about the job mar
ket that would immobilize me. I
must remind myself of the proverb
“From small beginnings come great
things."
3. To keep my mind free, I must
focus on my school assignments,
which involve a lot of writing.
Writing always makes me feel
better.
So, instead of more foot-tapping
and hand-wringing, I’m writing
this.
Chari Sutherland is
a senior from Snellville
majoring in newspapers
meant The Red & Black —of
Caleb’s traffic citation, how about
the 240-plus citations that the
Florida Gators football organiza
tion has in ONE county in Florida,
but you do not hear of even one of
those in the “media."
WAYNE GILMORE
MMwood
Engineering technology
I was e-mailing in response to
the value of Jacob Demmitt’s
recent article on Caleb King.
How is it legal to report of
charges that have since been
dropped? I question the integrity
of The Red & Black in publishing
this article. Why do you publish an
article with news that has been dis
missed from the judicial system?
1 do not see how this brings up
the core value of the University, the
student, the author or your publi
cation. Caleb King was obviously
in the wrong for his actions, but
again why bring up anything under
the bridge? I think we all have skel
etons in our closet and no one
wants their dirty laundry pub
lished. I hope that you have justifi
cation, because this is the defini
tion of defamation of character.
There are no charges in the
court system, yet you harp on the
past. I’d be interested in hearing
from you and Mr. Demmit. Thanks.
JAMES MCGEE
Athens
Athens First Bank
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