There are simple things you learn in journalism. Important, fundamental things.
Paragraph early and often. Keep your lead under 25 words, and don't bury it. Know why it's "nine" and "10."
Then there are things that don't come from a textbook. Somewhere in the four-ish years of studying the rules and practices of good writing, editing, and interviewing, a journalist develops a certain ethical pride.
Putting intangible ideologies into practice is not the same as exercising proper journalism habits. As a staff writer, sports writer and eventually on the editing desk at The Vista, I practiced what I had been preached ad infinitum, but in Thursday's issue, I may have sailed my maiden voyage in the pot-stirring, anger-inducing fleet.
I published an editorial and a cartoon on page two of the March 3 Vista that decried UCOSA's inaccurate use of The Vista as a proponent of Proposition One, and also poked fun at UCOSA President Matt Blubaugh.
Thus far, I've yet to hear a retort or a complaint (the more likely route) from the UCOSA office, and in truth I've only been lauded for standing up to "the man."
To be fair, Blubaugh is not a bad person. He works hard, clearly knows the ins and outs of amateur politics, and seems to only make promises he can deliver.
His problem is he doesn't realize when other people know that he's trying to manipulate them. He takes liberty with facts, twists views and speaks in swift, difficult to understand bursts of words. He is an assault rifle; He works fast and efficient, which is all well and good until you're the target.
So, with most of The Vista and UCO360's staff on the fence regarding Proposition One (We would receive a small allowance of funds that weren't already reserved for athletics, after all), each and every one of us was pushed to the nay army when our names were put on a petition we didn't sign up for.
The best part: The measure failed by a meager 32 votes out of more than 2,400. UCO360's staff is in the ballpark of 40 members. Justice served.
So sure, a bridge may have been burned. But it's happened before. It will happen again. And doing so in order to shield one's ethics will always be the right decision.
Blubaugh sounds like a typical politician to me, amateur or not . I'm glad you called him on his bulls*** in the paper. That takes guts
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ReplyDeletegood call. i was definitely in firing range as well, especially when some of his fellow politicians and proposition one campaigners stooped extremely low, even for a politician
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Shawndra. When it got down to the facts everyone that was FOR Prop 1 stooped as low as possible trying to make their point.
ReplyDeleteHey Ryan Costello and Brandon Brown,,, how does Blubaugh sound like a typical politician???? Typical politicians usually promise things they know they will "never" be able to produce,,, the article posted above "clearly" states that Blubaugh only makes promises he can deliver. If he was really trying to manipulate people, he would promise things that he can't deliver on. You said it takes guts to call Blubaugh on his bulls***. I'd like to see you do his job, much less do it as well as he has. Always remember,,, when you are pointing your finger at someone else, there are 3 fingers pointing back at you. I view Blubaugh as a black and white person who knows the facts and tells it like it is, without sugar coating it. He works hard for the betterment of UCO, so until you get your A** off the sidelines and start working hard your self for improvements at UCO, you really have no right to point your finger at anyone. I guess we're "all" lucky your names were not on the ballot box for student body president, I would hate to see the poor job either one of you would have done. Until you can produce a long list of the accomplishments you have made for UCO, give us all a rest and shut up.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding that I don't have the makeup to govern is precisely the reason you wouldn't find my name on a ballot box. That takes a better man than I.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in turn, understand this: I am not on the sidelines. The fact that I voted, and that I wrote an editorial and intervened when myself and my piers were being intentionally misrepresented, makes me far more a participant than the other 15,000 students that abstained.
I say everything from having immediate experience with what had happened. I will reiterate for the sake of fairness that Blubaugh is not a bad human being. That said, when he said that The Vista petitioned for Prop 1, a far-off inaccuracy, it was inappropriate. It could have stopped there, but it didn't. When confronted by the Communication Department, he made false claims that three Vista employees appeared at a UCOSA session representing the student media student. He knew the claims were false, but he saw a way out of the confrontation and tried it. It didn't work.
That's what I saw when I claimed that he was manipulative. No, he doesn't make promises he doesn't believe he can deliver on, which is an admirable trait, but that in itself does not mean that he is devoid of the capacity for manipulation, something he clearly displayed was in his repertoire.
Lastly, I would never claim to be gutsy. But I am a journalist, and it is, and always has been, the role of the fourth estate to report the truth and keep honest those charged with the fate of the free world, even if it is just a college campus.