Although proofreading is always a good idea before publishing an article, soliloquies with fine expressions such as ‘spineless cowards’ and ‘have some balls’ might deliberately grace the press once in a while.
‘Phi Psi, grow some balls and confess already’ is an opinion piece written by Shain Bergan, managing editor for the University of Arizona’s student newspaper, the Arizona Daily Wildcat, blaming and condemning the school’s Phi Kappa Psi fraternity for the Oct. 8 theft of more than 10,000 newspapers.
The incident may have been a humorous prank allegedly executed by wild frat boys, but Bergan mentioned specific names in the article of people involved in the theft, saying that they approached ‘the Wildcat offices wanting ‘hellip; evidence.’
The whole fiasco raised many eyebrows in the community, yet for some bizarre reason, the UA campus police failed to conduct an investigation.
They declined to question the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity despite finding two members’ homework at the site where the newspapers were dumped. The Daily Wildcat felt that the evidence gathered implicated the fraternity’s members of the misdemeanor.
So how far exactly can the Opinion section go before it’s over the top?
‘I wouldn’t say it’s over the top at all. We do our research before writing out pieces, and we enjoy sparking interest in our readers,’ Daily Wildcat Opinion editor Laura Donovan said. ‘I prefer it when people get angry and upset with our columns because that means we’re getting someone to read our section.’
Sparking interest in readers is what makes a newspaper successful. However, do crude comments justify the cause? Snappy lines and clever puns provoke more subtle reactions from readers.
The Daily Wildcat staff did not intend to spam this fraternity, but the lack of concern regarding the crime provoked the lashing. To steal 10,000 newspapers in a span of less than two hours requires organization and manpower.
Gutsy journalism is a tricky business and a delight to read, but there is always the risk of getting carried away.
It is not offensive to use idiolect in journalism, but one can overdo anything. Perhaps the point is just to be cautious when using particularly flashy linguistics.
Colloquial speech, like beauty, is still a form of art. Vulgarity, like decency, is correlated with action and reactions.
Bissan Rafe is a biology senior and may be reached at [email protected]
