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opinion
An apology to
one and all readers
In journalism, the
truth stands above all else. Whether controversial enough to
bring down a president or important enough to save lives, the
overriding principle in journalism is the search for truth.
A close second
to that is the responsibility we have to our readers. We have
a responsibility to keep them informed and treat them with
respect by reporting only the truth.
Sometimes we fail
on both counts.
In his column of
Nov. 21, "Revisiting Red Cross issue for the sake of closure,"
a columnist followed-up to a previous article in which he
expressed his displeasure with the way national charities
were handling funds in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
In the column,
Brunson made comments based on his personal feelings, but
also statements regarding the business practices of the Red
Cross and the United Way.
The figures cited
in the article regarding were incorrect and were not supported
by any verifiable evidence. This was an editing lapse on the
part of our editors and we take full responsibility for it,
and have run a correction on Dec. 5 when we learned of the
mistake.
How we learned
of this mistake is the reason for this response.
Since we live in
a truly global society, connected to every part of the world,
our reach extends far beyond this campus. Using web tracking,
we can say our on-line version is read dozens of countries.
Using a simple
web search, a United Way employee can read virtually any article
published that references that organization. Doing this, the
person came across the Brunson column and noticed the factual
inaccuracies.
Rather than responding
to us through the newsroom or via e-mail, as would normally
happen if someone read the print edition, the person responded
directly to Brunson. Since the article was viewed via the
Internet, the reader informed Brunson directly.
Rather than take
the message in the spirit it was intended - the paramount
need for journalistic accuracy - Brunson responded by dismissing
the reader as bothering him and citing the "news" as the source
for his information.
This response was
wholly inappropriate and the antithesis to everything we are
taught as journalism students. Reporting the facts accurately
is the number one rule in journalism, regardless of whether
or not the article may be an opinion.
This response was
rightly forwarded to the department chair, who also brought
it to our attention. It was at this point that we ran the
correction of the factual error and began debating what disciplinary
actions to take regarding Brunson.
The forwarded message
to the department chair was also sent to Brunson, who reacted
in a manner that was not only inappropriate, but also reprehensible.
Brunson responded
to this second message with a personal e-mail attack on the
person, and responded that because it was his opinion, he
did not need the facts. He also took offense at the way in
which the person handled the situation and threatened the
person with a harrassment lawsuit.
This is not the
way we are taught to deal with either the facts or our readers
in the journalism department and does not reflect the department
as a whole.
As editor in chief,
I am taking this space now to apologize on behalf of the On-line
Forty-Niner to the person responding to Brunson's article,
the United Way, and to our readers as a whole.
Our entire purpose
as journalists is to inform, enlighten and entertain you,
our readers. When we or our staff members begin treating our
readers, wherever the may be, with contempt and disregard,
we lose all credibility and belong at the bottom of a birdcage.
This incident was
being handled internally and may have never seen the light
of day, but for us to ever hope to have credibility with the
wronged organizations, we felt a full disclosure was necessary
to our readers.
Again, I apologize
on behalf of all of us at the On-line Forty-Niner to the person
who acted only in the interests of truth and accuracy.
Phil Witte is
editor in chief of the On-line Forty-Niner.
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