BG NEWS...clueless???

[Jham]

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.

When you worked there, you wrote fanboy stories about your team. If you call it working there, that's fine.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but when you worked there, you didn't lay out pages, and you didn't see what our wire service looked like. Metz is right, there's a bare minimum that they get. Add that up with a big section and an off day for your reporters, and you have a bad combo.

[Tricky_Falcon]

I work for a newspaper in Columbus and that is a mistake that can't be made. Really there is no such thing as a minor mistake. A mistake period ruins your reputation and your credibility goes down the drain. There is never enough time in the newspaper business but that's why you have to proof read your article. Take pride in it.

People serious about this profession will have multiple people proofread their work. It doesn't have to be the copy editor. It can be a teacher, a friend or a parent. It may seem minor but it doesn't look good when your own newspaper does not know what your record is.

It's even worse considering you go to the games and you receive the 100 page press releases that J.D. Campbell provides before and after the game. Heck J.D. and everyone in the Athletic Communications Dept. is willing to help you out.

Also with the osu stuff in the paper. Sure I guess if you're going to have it why does it have to be on the front page? I am not sure how it is this year because I am not on campus. But in previous years they would feature osu stories and Bowling Green athletics would get the second degree. There are professional sports that can be used in it's place.

[It's the Journey...]

[quotWhen you worked there, you wrote fanboy stories about your team. If you call it working there, that's fine.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but when you worked there, you didn't lay out pages, and you didn't see what our wire service looked like. Metz is right, there's a bare minimum that they get. Add that up with a big section and an off day for your reporters, and you have a bad combo.[/quote]

WOW, when did i run over your dog Jham????? I was trying to support the paper. Just because I was not an editor or did lay out does not mean I was not in the newsroom watching what was going on. Several nights I stayed simply because I was curious about how everything got done. And yes I did see what our wire service looks like and it is full of non BG/MAC sports items. As far as what I wrote, I guess you have made your opinion of my work clear but it was unnecessary. Honestly, you sound like the editor that offered me the #2 spot covering hockey. He got pretty pissed when I turned him down and knocked me the rest of the time I was there. Oh well, his loss, and yours.

Sorry again about running over your dog.....

[Bleeding Orange]

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.

Schade, you know what? Read my damned post before you start ripping me a new one. I was not making any sort of insinuation that anyone on the BG News should be reprimanded. I was simply making the statement that yes, mistakes will happen, but that the fact that they are "students" is not an excuse. Period. If you don't like my opinion, deal - and don't try to vilify me for it.

And yes, misprinting quotes is exactly like plagiarism. Go to any registrar's office at any university in the world, and you will see that intent is not a factor in plagiarism. Whether one intends to plagiarize or not, they are still guilty of it and there are no concessions made in any policy for doing it accidentally (although a nice professor or dean may make accomodations. Again, just stating an opinion rooted in academic fact - so don't come after me when you are wrong.

I've had a loooong day and I'm extremely irritable right now, but JHC man, you are always the first person to call anyone out around here, so I'm returning the favor.

[Schadenfreude]

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?

Well, later in my post, I expanded the thought to "Big Ten" teams. But as far as a staff rule? I think applying it to Ohio State would have been enough to make the point.

(The wires aren't sending a bunch of Michigan copy.)

And, again, there are a bunch of ways to look at this. I'm just offering a thought with the benefit of 15 years away from the paper. (Fifteen more years of being asked "no, whose your *real* favorite college team?" when I say "Bowling Green.")

I was once in the position to institute an Ohio State rule, but did not. Honestly, I'd have to go back and flip through old issues to see how much Ohio State coverage ended up in the paper when I was editor.

In the handful of issues I still have, the only reference I see is a preview of a Bowling Green-Ohio State hockey series. The only non-MAC college story I found was about a possible Nevada-Las Vegas point-shaving scandal.

The sports holes were pretty tight in the issues I have, which were mostly from later in the week. Our sports editor seems to have reached for Indians stories first.

[Schadenfreude]

Schade, you know what? Read my damned post before you start ripping me a new one.

I read it again. I stand by my previous post.

I was not making any sort of insinuation that anyone on the BG News should be reprimanded.

I disagree. Quoting:

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.

And yes, misprinting quotes is exactly like plagiarism.

Let me remind you of your original proposition:

Misrepresenting stats, standings, names, etc. is the journalistic equivalent of plagiarism in academia.

You used the word "misrepresent."

Merriam-Webster defines "misrepresentation" as.

to give a false or misleading representation of usually with an intent to deceive or be unfair

So, as I stated previously, your use of the word "misrepresent" implies intent -- and invents a scenario that did not actually occur.

The poor kid typed "1-1" instead of "2-0." You think he meant to do that?

Do you seriously think any journalist misspells a name or screws up a stat intentionally?

It doesn't happen. These are, quite simply, mistakes.

Let's discuss plagiarism.

Go to any registrar's office at any university in the world, and you will see that intent is not a factor in plagiarism. Whether one intends to plagiarize or not, they are still guilty of it and there are no concessions made in any policy for doing it accidentally (although a nice professor or dean may make accomodations.

Forget intent. Let's talk about what it means to plagiarize:

Merriam-Webster:

transitive senses : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source
intransitive senses : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source

The leap from erroneously reporting Bowling Green's record to passing off someone else's work off as your own is enormous.

The comparison is absurd.

Again, just stating an opinion rooted in academic fact - so don't come after me when you are wrong.

I disagree. I stand by my previous post.

[transfer2BGSU]

A lot of the students working for the BG News have no idea that they are working for one of the most prestigious student newspapers in the country.

The BG News

[Schadenfreude]

A lot of the students working for the BG News have no idea that they are working for one of the most prestigious student newspapers in the country.

The BG News

This will seem like ancient history, I'll grant, but 1988-89, the Society of Professional Journalists named The BG News the nation's best college daily.

More recently, SPJ has named The BG News best all around daily in its region (Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia) three out of the last five years.

http://www.bgnewsalumni.com/bg_news_his ... 6.php#more

Probably the paper's biggest strengths right now is design. The head-to-toe redesign a couple of years back has received international praise.

Finally, it's worth pointing out that Bowling Green is blessed to even have a daily. The only other universities in Ohio with daily newspapers are Ohio State (The Lantern), Ohio U. (The Post) and Kent State (The Daily Kent Stater). I think Ball State's Daily News and Northern Illinois' Northern Star are the only other dailies in the MAC (I'm not sure about Western Michigan).

[Falconfreak90]

GO FALCONS!!! BEAT WMU....or whoever we play this week.

[Falconfreak90]

The Akron Beacon Journal has two mistakes in today's sports pages about Green High School. In one section, they printed Green beat Revere 24-16 last Friday. No, Green beat Cloverleaf last week and lost at Revere the previous Friday.

Then, in the I 77 sports section, Green is listed as 3-2 in the Suburban League. (In best Beavis voice) "Ummmmmmm....no...heh heh.....you fartknockers! heh heh....that was cool."
Green is currently 4-1 hosting undefeated Tallmadge tonight for the title. IF Tallmadge wins, they are league champs. If Green wins, Green and Tallmadge will be 5-1 with one week left.

I emailed the sports editor pointing out these mistakes.

Sheese.

GO FALCONS!

[JohnnySwoop '85]

Unfortunately they got wadsworth right at 1-4....I hope you also included a mention that they lack complete coverage of one of the other Top Div 1 programs in the state.
Can't wait for next weeks edition...JD Brookhart, Getsy, Hixon Mixon whatever his name is.

In fact lets get it started now (the weekly opposing coach thread)

JD Brookhart.....

Upon hearing that the Soccer team is #1 in Div 1 says oh yeah! well we're number 1-1-1!

[Falconfreak90]

Unfortunately they got wadsworth right at 1-4....I hope you also included a mention that they lack complete coverage of one of the other Top Div 1 programs in the state.
Can't wait for next weeks edition...JD Brookhart, Getsy, Hixon Mixon whatever his name is.

In fact lets get it started now (the weekly opposing coach thread)

JD Brookhart.....

Upon hearing that the Soccer team is #1 in Div 1 says oh yeah! well we're number 1-1-1!

Good point, JW. There should be plenty of BG coverage in the ABJ the next couple weeks with Akron and Kent. LOL. Of course the coverage will probably be on page 6 with the front page dominated by that team in Columbus but hey, ya can't have it all!

BEAT WMU!!!