Just got out of rehab for treatment of an addiction to "Angry Birds." Good to be back. Can't promise there won't be a relapse, but for now, we'll try to get back on track with the critiques.
THE GOOD
Reaction to the campus news over spring break — Zach Hull's death, Tim Walker's termination — was fairly solid and, while those stories cried out for more extensive coverage, they were given prominent display on the cover and inside.
Let's talk about the Hull story for a moment: The news release from the college was adequate, but lacked any emotional resonance, i.e. response from teammates, coaches of other students to the death of a fellow student. That would have seemed to have been an obvious area for coverage by the student newspaper. You may be working on a follow-up story for this week's issue (I hope you are, anyway), but I think there was time to have talked to some people to get quotes without seeming intrusive to the grief that is being experienced.
Major miscue: Jed's column actually got the location of the accident wrong — it happened in the Lewiston Orchards, not on the road between Moscow and Lewiston (Hull was from Moscow; maybe that's where the confusion stemmed). Jed went on to rightfully advise readers to avoid hearsay and innuendo about the accident while it is still being investigated. But there is more to this story than we've been told and it should not be something to be ignored in hopes that it might just go away.
Likewise, Walker's "resignation" cried out for a little explanation — Did he fall or was he pushed? And while Jed in his column speculated that it may have had something to do with a lack of attendance at the men's games, investigative queries should have been posed to the athetic director and Walker himself. The Tribune did not go above and beyond the call of duty on this story, either, so while there are still unanswered questions, it does pale in comparison to the loss of a young man's life.
Moving on ...
Nathan took keyboard in hand to scribe about the value of nap-taking, Alex interviewed Ryan Kegler for the Student Spotlight Q&A and Sarah shot the photograph of the pow wow at the Events Center.
Had the usual quality A&E content from Kaylee, Alex and Jeremiah, plus a timely and topical Word on the Street.
THE NOT-SO-HOT
Jed, in his well-meaning mini-editorial, nevertheless danced around the events of spring break week without ever really getting to a point. Sounded like he was re-emphasizing the need to staunch gossip in the wake of the fatal accident, but never came right out and said that. Be direct: Say what you mean and mean what you say.
A TRUNCATED THINGS TO WORK ON:
The term spring break is not a proper noun and thus not capitalized.
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