My Reply
I am glad that my blog “The Daily Heartbeat or the Daily Heartbreak?” received so many comments, especially from the Editor-in-Chief of the paper. However, it was not my intention to provoke anger with my blog, nor to tear down fellow student writers. It was unfortunate and I am sorry that it was perceived this way.
I do want to clear something up. I was aware that the members of the staff were part of a class. I also do understand some of the difficulty that comes with producing a student written paper. In high school, I was on the newspaper staff for two years (which was also a class), and I was an editor for one year. We didn’t print a paper every day (for which I applaud the iPulse), but we put a lot of work into it nonetheless. I dealt with the obstacles of people who didn’t show up for class, who didn’t meet deadlines, and who didn’t want to be there. I can appreciate and sympathize with the frustration that causes.
 I want to thank Sarah for clarifying some things and for correcting my mistakes. I didn’t realize that the paper was written on a sixth grade reading level for better comprehension. I now better understand that aspect of the paper. I also did not realize that there had been a previous issue of the iPulse that put more focus on NCAA week. I will make sure to research something like that if I mention it. Thank you, also, for pointing out the errors in my blog. I will endeavor in the future to thoroughly read and edit my blogs before posting, especially when it points out someone else’s errors.
 Now I have some points of my own to make.
Number 1: I used ‘critique’ over ‘critisicm’ because to me, criticism has a more negative connotation. Advice, suggestions for improvement, a way to make the paper better; you can use whatever phrase you like. My blog was not meant to be accusatory or confrontational, and it was my mistake that it came out that way. Honestly, I just want the paper to be better so that I can read it and because it reflects the students at the school I am attending.
Number 2: I was favorably impressed with your writing, Sarah. That makes it more difficult for me to understand how so many errors in the paper are missed. However, I wrote my blog based on my experiences reading from last year and the issue that I happened to pick up. I will continue to read future issues to see if the one I read was a solitary example and whether it was just coincidence that I picked it up on a bad day.
Number 3: I understand that there will be mistakes; there always are. I don’t expect the iPulse to be perfect; that would be absurd. But I don’t understand why, even with a copy editor and an Editor-in-Chief, so many mistakes are slipping through the cracks. Also, the simple fact that I am not the only student who has noticed this makes it apparent that this is an issue that needs to be addressed. I cannot vouch for all of the students on this campus, but I know more than one who is frustrated with the errors they find in the iPulse.
I understand that some members of the staff took offense to what I said because they do take pride in their work for the iPulse. I’m sorry for that because, as I said, a school newspaper is a very good thing. But I would rather they take pride in something more commendable, i.e. a well written paper.
Posted in Lynn | 1 Comment »
October 19th, 2007 at 10:42 am
First of all, I think your blog is a great thing for the University. It gives students and visitors insight of our University. But, do you think it is appropriate for you to degrade or criticize your fellow students? Do you think this is a good tactic for moral with your fellow students? And, what will visitors to your blog think when reading how you openly attack your fellow students and their work?
I agree criticizm is healthy when done in a tactful way. Your critisizm is distasteful and very childish. The heading of your blog “The Daily Heartbeat or the Daily Heartbreak?†is the first hint to the reader you are going to be negative against the school newspaper. As stated by the staff of the iPulse, the newspaper is a product of a required class for some students within the University. That means, it is an ongoing learning process; a process where the student learns and improves throughout this process. How would you feel if your English Professor read a paper you had wrote to the entire class (similar to your blog which is available for everyone to read) and made comments to the class such as:
(1) ““He is also excepting electronic submission with a cover e-mail.†I don’t feel like this [essay] could have been edited. I think [you] should have picked up on the fact that ‘excepting’ should have been ‘accepting’ and ’submission’ needs an ’s’ at the end.â€
(2) ““the following stores will be opening in the next months to come.†Either take out ‘next’ or ‘to come.’ Redundancy is not your friend!â€
(3) “The poor writing style bothers me, as well. I mean, I don’t expect a [you] to be equal to that of the New York Times, but it’s apallingly simple. I suppose I can accept the lack of or misused punctuation, but sometimes, the simplicity of it will just drive me crazy. I don’t want to cite any examples of this, but please believe me, [you] could use some elevation in diction.â€
(4) “Maybe I only notice all of this because I am such a grammar freak. I honestly can’t say whether or not any other students feel similarly. I understand that everyone makes mistakes and that there are going to be errors. This massive number, however, is unnecessary. It irritates me that there are so many blatant errors in this [paper]. How can they be missed? I can’t stand to read [your paper] because of the numerous errors I see. And please, [Jana], don’t read this as a criticism so much as a critique. I wish [your work] was better simply so that I have more incentive to read it. It is a worthy pursuit to have a [English essay written by you], but [your work] should produce a sense of pride [for your fellow] students, not a sense of embarrassment. I hope this will lead to some improvement in future [essays].â€
(5) “I understand that [you might take] offense to what I said because [I am sure you] take pride in [your] work. I’m sorry for that because, as I said, [an essay] is a very good thing. But I would rather [you] take pride in something more commendable, i.e. a well written paper.â€
(These are exact quotes from your blog!)
Jana, your approach was very distasteful and hurtful. You should be ashamed at your childish behavior. As a self-proclaimed grammar freak, you seemed to have made some errors in your writing of your blog. Mmmmmmm…. I wonder if all your issues of your high school newspaper were error-free?