UNC's loss is journalism's loss

Justin Steffen, my former student, died last week. He was only 22, but he was already a journalist making a difference.

Justin, pictured at right, graduated in May with majors in journalism and psychology. During his last semester at UNC, he took my Advanced News & Feature Writing class, the capstone course for all students emphasizing in news-editorial, or what we used to refer to as print journalism.

As part of the class, students are required to cover a beat. Justin chose to cover the Boys and Girls Clubs of Weld County. His investigative article examined how the club had canceled a popular prevention program. I really liked his lead on the story, which was published on the Greeley Tribune's Web site:

Anthony Montelongo is a 12-year-old Greeley resident. He has been a member of the Boys and Girls Club’s Painter Unit for about eight years. Until recently, he was also a member of the SMART (Skills Mastery And Resistance Training) Moves program. Montelongo said that the program has taught him not to do drugs and to respect other people. He also said that he thinks that all the other children should participate in the program.
“SMART Moves is fun. There are a lot of kids in it and it teaches you a lot,” Montelongo said. He said it should be one of the highest priorities for the club to get the program back.
The SMART Moves program is not being taught at either of the Boys and Girls Club units in Greeley. The reason that the program is not being taught is because of lack of staff to teach the program and lack of money to hire the staff, according to staff at the clubs. The program has not been run in the Painter or Pawl units since March.

I was impressed by Justin's ability to talk to that young man and tell his story. So many journalism students are afraid to tackle tough stories because they're afraid of asking hard questions of people they don't know. But that's journalism. If you want to make a difference, you have to do the hard work. Justin knew that.

Because he did the hard work, his story made a difference. I received an e-mail from Justin about a month after the article appeared on the Tribune's Web site. He said that although the club's director wasn't happy with the publicity, officials had decided to bring back the program. I am proud of what Justin did. We need more reporters like him in newsrooms across the United States.

Thank you Justin, for making a difference in Greeley, and for making a difference in my life.

Read Justin's articles in the Greeley Tribune:

• Local Boys and Girls Clubs drop prevention program
• Opinion: Boys and Girls Clubs need to stay open
• Boys and Girls Club's unit director leaves

Photo credit: Barry Lapoint

He hit three consecutive grand slam dingers ... all in a row

With the Rockies in the playoffs for the first time since 1995, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss some of the errors I often see and hear when following sports media. Just because you hear or read these terms does not mean they are OK. People, listen to me: We have to do better than those who came before us!

There is no such thing as a "new record." If someone sets a record, of course it's new. If you set a record, you establish a "new" record for other people to attempt to break. When someone breaks your record, they set the record. "New record" is redundant.
Example: Barry Bonds set the career home run record by hitting his 762nd in 2007.

Synonym syndrome: I hate it when announcers and journalists try to make up funny synonyms for sports terms. Most of the ones I really hate come from ESPN announcers who seem to think their job descriptions include creating the most ridiculous terms of the week.
A few that annoy me:
• Dinger for home run.
• Go yard for hitting a home run.
• Base poke for hit.

Grand slam home run: A "grand slam" is a home run with the bases loaded. Saying "grand slam home run" is redundant.
Example: Despite a grand slam by the Padres early in the game, the Rockies won in the 13th inning.

Consecutive in a row: Announcers do this all the time. "The Rockies have won 12 consecutive games in a row." If they're in a row, they're consecutive. Talk about redundancy. This one was suggested by my father, the original cranky copy editor.

If you enjoy pointing out stupid sports redundancies as much as I do, you might want to check out Ethan Skolnick's blog at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

And if you have an annoying sports term to add to my list, please let me know with a comment.

Editor defends F--- Bush headline

The board that oversees Colorado State University's student-run newspaper is still pondering what to do about editor J. David McSwane, who declined to apologize Wednesday night for his paper's use of the F-word.

Both the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the paper in question, The Rocky Mountain Collegian, contain extensive coverage. According to the Coloradoan, the Collegian has lost so much advertising from the controversy that it was published in black and white today instead of color. Apparently the student advertising representatives are afraid to call clients.

I was floored by one comment in the Coloradoan. The Collegian's student advertising director, Lenay Snyder, is quoted as saying the following: "Dave's job was not only to decide the editorial content of the paper, but also its financial well-being. He failed." Wow. Um. Yeah. Anyone who's taken an introductory journalism class should know that the editor is in charge of the news content and only the news content. The financial stability of the paper is the responsibility of the publisher, not the editor.

My latest take on this issue is that the editor should not be fired. The headline was clearly marked as an editorial. Editorials represent the opinion of the editorial board. And as long as you're not inciting violence, you can basically say anything. The editorial was not very well done, but it was protected free speech. The sole reason for the freedom of speech and press in this country is so Americans can criticize the government without fear of retribution.

I guess my biggest problem with this whole mess is that it brings to light how little most people know about the news. So few people follow it. And so few understand how it is produced. And so few understand why it's important. That all adds up to a society that doesn't understand the freedom of the press and the freedom of speech. And that is truly sad.

What the f___?

Controversy is swirling around the student paper at Colorado State University, which is not far from UNC. In case you haven't seen it yet, here is the headline that caused all the controversy. Please follow the link or you’re not going to understand the rest of my post.

Yes, you read that right.

At first, I thought that those calling for the editor's resignation were off base. But then I read the story, if you can call it that. It's just a headline. It almost looks like a joke gone bad, like someone put in a fake headline to save space for the real story but forgot to put in the real story. (This has happened at many a newspaper. Just ask anyone who's worked in the business.)

The question for me isn't whether the F-word should be used in a newspaper. I see it all the time in Denver's alternative weekly, Westword, which has great reporting and writing for the most part. The question for me is whether the news item serves the community. In this case, the community is the students, faculty and staff of Colorado State University. In my humble opinion, the headline alone didn't do anything except create controversy. The editors could have written an editorial under the controversial headline, detailing how President Bush helped create the atmosphere in which the University of Florida campus police thought they could use their taser on a student asking a question in an open forum. If you haven’t heard about the taser story yet, please check out the video on U-tube. It's pretty scary.

As I write this, the CSU paper's editor, J. David McSwane, is scheduled to go before the Board of Student Communications on Wednesday. The board will decide what action, if any, should be taken.

Our own student paper, The Mirror, did a great job editorializing on this issue.

The First Amendment is alive and well. But journalistic ethics is another story. And another post….

Take that, whomever you are!

Many things annoy me. Below are a few. Please add or e-mail your own annoyances so I can announce them to my readers.

* People are always telling me I need to "change out" the battery in my smoke alarm. Why the "out"? Just change it, for goodness sake. Extra words are boring. They take up readers' and listeners' precious time.

* Many people use "whom" incorrectly. I think some people even use it to impress the reader. It rarely works. "Whom" is only used when you need an object. Use "who" when you need a subject, whether it's the subject of a clause, phrase or sentence. If you're unsure, perform the following test. Replace "whom" with "him" or "her." If it sounds right, use "whom." If not, use "who."

* Students often use "that" when "who" is called for. A person is a "who." A thing is a "that." Don't use the word "that" to refer to a person. Example A: The man who took the trophies was arrested. Example B: The trophy that he took was recovered in the hotel room. According to the AP Stylebook, even an animal should be referred to as "who," as long as the animal has a name. My cat, whom I love dearly, will certainly enjoy hearing that.

Don't forget the right to look stupid

Just graded the first quiz in my editing class. The bonus question asked students to name all five freedoms protected by the First Amendment. (In case you were wondering, the Associated Press Stylebook calls for capitalization of the amendments.) Out of 23 students, only three got all five. It's discouraging how many people can't name even four of these important rights. And it's really annoying how many people think that "the right to bare arms" is one of them. In case you were wondering, "the right to bear arms" is shorthand for the Second Amendment.

I guess everyone has the right to bare arms, as long as they're not really ugly arms. I mean, if they're really flabby or something, I certainly don't want to see them. Of course, it's up to the individual. If you feel good about your arms and want to show them off, no matter how disgusting they are, go for it. That's what's so great about this country.

So, do you know the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment? Go to the The First Amendment Center for the answer. And if you're curious about the other nine amendments in the Bill of Rights, check out the The Bill of Rights Institute.

If you're interested in learning more about the U.S. Constitution, the The National Archives Experience is a great resource.

What is news?

People decide what news goes into newspapers, Web sites, TV and radio stations. Editors, producers and reporters decide what their audience wants and needs to know. They're supposed to use what we call "news values": impact, novelty, timeliness, conflict, prominence and proximity. Stories that aren't newsworthy shouldn't make the cut. But they do. Check out Fark.com for a comprehensive look at what too many so-called "news" outlets are passing off as "newsworthy."

If you're like me and enjoy reading actual books, you might want to check out the book, "It's not news, it's fark: How mass media tries to pass off crap as news," by Fark founder Drew Curtis. It's easy to read, very funny and a little bit sad.