BG NEWS...clueless???

[Jacobs4Heisman]

Few things piss me off more than when I see an e-mail come across my working world that has poor grammar, multiple spelling mistakes, etc. I don't care how busy I am, I proofread every e-mail or piece of documentation I send out to ensure absolute perfection. I'll admit it -- I am a grammar nazi when it concerns my professional work. This is very odd when weighed against my natural tendency towards laziness and procrastination.

Multiple glaring mistakes in the BG news also pissed me off regularly when I was a daily reader.

While I understand mistakes happen, my point of view remains that this paper reflects upon the university and as such, on myself as an alumnus. I just wish they would lock it down some.

[tekekini]

i am curious to see MEtz reaction to this thread. doesn't he work for BG news?

[Bleeding Orange]

This is very odd when weighed against my natural tendency towards laziness and procrastination.

I can personally attest to J4H's laziness and proclivity for procrastination.

Listen, I understand the perspective of people who work at the paper. I knew people that worked on the paper when I was at BG. I spent time in the newsroom watching the editing layout process. There is a lot to do and they are understaffed.

That said, the only thing I can say is that excuses are like assholes (you know the rest...). It is never easy, but as Jham said, nothing in the world of journalism ever is. Misrepresenting stats, standings, names, etc. is the journalistic equivalent of plagiarism in academia. There is never an excuse for plagiarism, and the penalties are severe for committing infractions of that nature. Saying that students should not be held to account for their printed mistakes for any reason is just plain sad, and shows a lack of integrity, in my opinion. The BG News and the students who work on it are much better than excuses, and they deserve better.

[momtartin]

Actually Metzger was the one who pointed out the tackle difference to me, I wouldn't have noticed it had he not told me.

[Schadenfreude]

Misrepresenting stats, standings, names, etc. is the journalistic equivalent of plagiarism in academia. There is never an excuse for plagiarism, and the penalties are severe for committing infractions of that nature.

Good God, please get off your high horse.

The poor writer wrote "1-1" instead of "2-0." Is that what this whole argument is about?

That wasn't a misrepresentatiation, because "misrepresentation," implies intent.

It was an accident -- obviously.

Getting Bowling Green's record wrong isn't even in the same ZIP code as plagiarism. It's a mistake.

Saying that students should not be held to account for their printed mistakes for any reason is just plain sad, and shows a lack of integrity, in my opinion.

Are you suggesting the student should be suspended for accidently typing "1-1" instead of "2-0."

I suppose they could have used nuclear weapons to quell the looting in New Orleans, too.

You claim to understand the perspective of people who work at the paper, but your loose talk of "misrepresentation" and "plagiarism" suggests otherwise.

[1987alum]

Schade's correct.

As an editor, this is the type of mistake that makes my head explode. When - and I say when because it happened too often - reporters made mistakes like this one, everyone heard about it, from the reporter to all the editors that touched the story. Would anyone be fired? No. Would anyone be suspended? No.

It's a stupid mistake, the type of mistake that is likely due to laziness and/or sloppiness. It is not, however, a capital offense.

[Metz]

i am curious to see MEtz reaction to this thread. doesn't he work for BG news?

I don't think you really want my reaction but you're getting it anyways. I put the stuff on the pages. I see mistakes the next day and am like wtf but it happens from everything from spelling to design. Of course you don't see the design things that are wrong because you all have no idea about technical little s**t I have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. But typos...God forbid...end of the world. Yeah, these mistakes were noticed and corrections were run in today's paper on page 7.

We know when we screw up. We don't need people to tell us. And whoever blammed the copy editors, 1-1 looks pretty good in an AP stlye sense. Ever think that maybe the copy editors don't really know about our football team? If you come back at me with something about how they should, when you work 3 nights a week for 6 hours each night and have to proof-read an 8 page paper for a whopping $0, then you can bitch.

About the OSUck...sorry but students at the paper do go to class. They can't write 10 articles a day. Also, with all this complaining, it appears you all feel the BG News should be considered a professional newspaper. I consider it one as well but how many times do you see the Toledo Blade, for instance, reporting on someone besides Toledo? Wow, it's amazing that newspapers deliver news about everything. Sure we are a campus newspaper, but there are other things people here want to read about. No one complains about the Indians stories on the front on occassion? Why not? They aren't BGSU stories.

There is also this thing in a newsroom we call time. I think it's everywhere but I don't know. When you are laying out pages and there is a late night sporting event, we can't just sit around with a blank front page and wait for the story to come in at 11, and then start laying out the pages when they need to be turned in at midnight.

Only a few people on this board have any clue of what really goes on for the BG News. Until you do, I suggest not jumping on our backs for little mistakes that we run corrections on. I think I finally figured out how our sports teams feel when all of you jump on them.

[1987alum]

And whoever blammed the copy editors, 1-1 looks pretty good in an AP stlye sense. Ever think that maybe the copy editors don't really know about our football team? If you come back at me with something about how they should, when you work 3 nights a week for 6 hours each night and have to proof-read an 8 page paper for a whopping $0, then you can bitch.

That would be me. And since I've been in the situation you describe, I guess I can bitch.

Someone should have caught the error, Metz. I'm not saying it's the end of the world, but someone should have caught it.

[BGDrew]

"WHY DO MOMMY AND DADDY HAVE TO FIGHT?!"

[Schadenfreude]

I will say this Metz:

If I were editor again, I would require every Ohio State sports reference to be cleared with me, just to make the point with staff. You see what I mean.

I went through that struggle to fill pages just like you do now. But it seems like there is an awful lot of pro sports that could be used to fill pages instead of the adventures of a different college team that doesn't play in our conference.

It's a tough call. I mean, clearly, there are some students on campus who want to read about the Buckeyes. On the other hand, there are probably even more students on campus who would pick up the paper if you had a Page Three girl.

Now, I'm not saying you run too much Big Ten news -- just riffing off the suggestion by someone else that you do.

Also, I must admit my thinking has evolved (some might say "matured," others might say "ossified") over time.

One of my biggest regrets as editor was not putting enough BG sports on page one. (And not finding away to get nice looking agate into the paper) My house is not made of glass.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

[tekekini]

Just for the record Metz, I did not complain one time about it. I know mistakes happen. I just knew you worked for the paper so I was curious to your reaction about everyone putting down the BG news. givin ya a chance to bring the other side to the table.


I was actually being nice for once 8)

[Metz]

I will say this Metz:

If I were editor again, I would require every Ohio State sports reference to be cleared with me, just to make the point with staff. You see what I mean.

I went through that struggle to fill pages just like you do now. But it seems like there is an awful lot of pro sports that could be used to fill pages instead of the adventures of a different college team that doesn't play in our conference.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

Can I have those 2 cents and add them to the BG News fund? We are an independant newspaper. We have no school funding. We get the lowest amount of AP articles you could think of. We run OSU things because that's the local s**t AP decides to let us use. Feel free to donate some more than 2 cents and maybe then we could up our account and run other sports articles.

[Metz]

Just for the record Metz, I did not complain one time about it. I know mistakes happen. I just knew you worked for the paper so I was curious to your reaction about everyone putting down the BG news. givin ya a chance to bring the other side to the table.


I was actually being nice for once 8)

I know, I was just using your set up to let people know why they are overreacting. Sorry if it seemed it was directed at you.

[It's the Journey...]

If I were editor again, I would require every Ohio State sports reference to be cleared with me, just to make the point with staff. You see what I mean.

Why just OSU stories??? Why not any other school that isn't in the MAC or playing a MAC team any given week? I have worked at the BG News, and made my fair share of mistakes that went to print. If things are similar to when I was there you will find a lack of proof readers and copy editors. These positions were hard to fill when I was there because no one wants to do them. Mistakes happen, as long as a correction is printed, and it was, then this is a non-issue.

[kdog27]

I can't believe 1-1 instead of 2-0 is such a big deal for some people. I can pickup the Plain Dealer and find mistakes like this everyday.