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Alligator obligated to report the news
By Jessica DaSilva
Usually picking the stories for the next day’s edition of the Alligator is a relatively painless process.
Several news editors, two managing editors (one who oversees the print product and another who oversees the Web site) and I sit around a table, talk about the day’s news and map it out over our set amount of pages.
But when a sensitive story — such as the one heading our front page about several Student Government officials fixing the interview process for summer replacement senators and committee seats — crosses the table, a lot of deliberation goes into it.
Several news editors, two managing editors (one who oversees the print product and another who oversees the Web site) and I sit around a table, talk about the day’s news and map it out over our set amount of pages.
But when a sensitive story — such as the one heading our front page about several Student Government officials fixing the interview process for summer replacement senators and committee seats — crosses the table, a lot of deliberation goes into it.
Days of discussion went into deciding whether to run this story and when.
We considered the fact that the e–mails might have been falsified or obtained illegally, but when External Affairs Director Matt Goldberger (who was directly involved with the e–mails) told me over the phone Friday that he and the others involved would not meet with Alligator staffers to verify the authenticity of the documents, it became apparent that we would not get the confirmation we were looking for.
With the SG election starting today, the staff collectively decided the subject of these e–mails was too important to our readers to delay the story’s publishing.
You deserve to know what SG is doing, and you deserve to know it before you vote a party into power.
In the mean time, we have requested numerous public records, including but not limited to e–mails and minutes from meetings.
The Alligator staff is doing everything it can to investigate this issue. Still, that doesn’t make it right for us to withhold valuable information from readers and voters right before an election — an election you could use to voice your concern and change the state of SG politics.
Despite what many people think of the Alligator, we do not like to run negative stories about SG.
We try and give credit where credit is due, but it is the job of the press to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions on behalf of the public and, in this case, the student body.
I spent two semesters reporting on SG for the Alligator. I know how much time and energy SG officials’ jobs consume, and I know they have done a lot for the students.
It pains me to see these officials stooping to such a level. I was under the impression that they got into this business so they could help better the lives of UF students.
I wish this election season would have brought stories about reaching out to the student body and across party lines to improve this school.
That doesn’t mean it is responsible for the Alligator to hold a story before an election because of its sensitivity.
As one of our editors put it during last night’s budget meeting, “It would be irresponsible of us to not run this story.”
Jessica DaSilva is a journalism and political science senior and the editor of the Alligator.
We considered the fact that the e–mails might have been falsified or obtained illegally, but when External Affairs Director Matt Goldberger (who was directly involved with the e–mails) told me over the phone Friday that he and the others involved would not meet with Alligator staffers to verify the authenticity of the documents, it became apparent that we would not get the confirmation we were looking for.
With the SG election starting today, the staff collectively decided the subject of these e–mails was too important to our readers to delay the story’s publishing.
You deserve to know what SG is doing, and you deserve to know it before you vote a party into power.
In the mean time, we have requested numerous public records, including but not limited to e–mails and minutes from meetings.
The Alligator staff is doing everything it can to investigate this issue. Still, that doesn’t make it right for us to withhold valuable information from readers and voters right before an election — an election you could use to voice your concern and change the state of SG politics.
Despite what many people think of the Alligator, we do not like to run negative stories about SG.
We try and give credit where credit is due, but it is the job of the press to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions on behalf of the public and, in this case, the student body.
I spent two semesters reporting on SG for the Alligator. I know how much time and energy SG officials’ jobs consume, and I know they have done a lot for the students.
It pains me to see these officials stooping to such a level. I was under the impression that they got into this business so they could help better the lives of UF students.
I wish this election season would have brought stories about reaching out to the student body and across party lines to improve this school.
That doesn’t mean it is responsible for the Alligator to hold a story before an election because of its sensitivity.
As one of our editors put it during last night’s budget meeting, “It would be irresponsible of us to not run this story.”
Jessica DaSilva is a journalism and political science senior and the editor of the Alligator.
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July 2nd, 2009 CorrectionThe UF-Georgia football game is held annually at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The contract for the game is between UF and the city of Jacksonville. An article in Tuesday’s paper stated otherwise. |
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avolakiteshvara wrote on Oct 8, 2008 12:06 AM: