To the Editor:

Let me start off by pointing out that I am a regular reader who appreciates your hard work and dedication.

In Volume 86, Number 21 of The University News, whose headline read “Election Season Draws to Close,” however, I noticed a peculiar climax to a growing debacle. For some time I had willingly dismissed errors in punctuation, spelling, and factual analysis under the pretense that busy college students hardly have the time to correct every little grammatical mistake that are so easy, so human, to make. It wasn’t until the latest issue that I was given perhaps the most insulting display of indifference to accuracy in journalism.

Journalism is not without its errors. For a time, reporters have run to the printing press with half the story and an entire article, happy with every imagined nuance covered. Today, such mistakes are even celebrated, such as regrettheerror.com’s annual Crunk awards. Mistakes like “Pennsylvania company recalls 94,400 Lbs of Beef Panties” are almost too funny to ignore, and certainly too enjoyable to regret having been made. Almost every issue of periodicals like Time or Newsweek contain at least one report of factual error, and usually one mistaken or missing photograph.

It is, however, different to repeat an entire column for reasons unknown. The Opinions and Editorials page, to which I am now writing, saw the issue ‘Students Defend Pro-Choice Platform’ twice. Now Pro-Choice is certainly important in today’s fundamental versus conservative versus liberal plus moderate world, but certainly not important enough to be printed twice.

Even more laughable, and I am serious about this one, and perhaps even more unbelievably disappointing is the fact that the paper’s very own Editorial Board, which was presumably responsible for the rundown of candidate backgrounds and platforms, somehow managed to misspell ‘Editorial.’ In its own space. Now that tells me one of two things: Either the editorial board needs a new staff, or the editorial board is indeed one very tired college student masquerading as an editorial board. In this case, the signoff of ‘A tired college student,’ might be more appropriate.

It would certainly be more comforting.

Nicholas M. Freed
Sophomore, Parks College of Aviation, Engineering & Technology