From: dogbowl@dogbox.acme.gen.nz (Kennelmeister)
Newsgroups: alt.angst
Subject: Re: Anyone know the answer to this one?
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 92 22:08:04 +1300
Organization: The Dawghaus BBS, Palmerston North, New Zealand (+64 6 357 9245)

winkern@columbia.dsu.edu (NANCY MARIE WINKER) writes:

> Ok, you all know I am involved in journalism stuff--I have been on the 
> campus newspaper staff a total of ten semesters, and now I have taken on the 
> concept of creating an FM radio station, which hopefully will be operating 
> in the next year or two.  (I hope I graduate before then.)
> 
> The question is:  If someone submits a letter to the editor, is the editor 
> required to print it?  What instances could support the editor's decision to 
> refuse to print a letter?  Is it ethical for an editor to coerce the person 
> who submitted a letter into withdrawing it?  Is it ok to ban a letter 
> because it criticizes the paper it was sent to?
> 
> (The questions ARE--I guess.)  The scenario is this:  someone on our radio 
> staff (not me--that would be a conflict of interest) wrote a letter to the 
> editor, criticizing the newspaper of not acknowledging KDSU.  The editor (
> not me--I am not good enough to be their editor) found the author of the 
> letter and begged her to pull it.  After so much arm-twisting the author 
> agreed, but then came to me and asked what she should do.  She really wanted 
> to make her point.  So somehow it got posted on our E-mail program to all 
> the faculty, staff, and administrators, with the introduction that it was a 
> letter to the editor that was not printed in the newspaper and should have 
> been.
> 
> Well, to make matters worse, the newspaper fired me.  I am really lucky, 
> because I have been wanting out anyway, but for them to do that really took 
> nerve.  They blamed me for the posting, and wrote a rebuttal to the same 
> group, saying that MY use of the mail was "malicious" and "injudicious" and 
> that I am not a productive part of our campus society.  This from the 
> newspaper advisor, a long-term instructor AND the wife of the Dean of 
> Student Affairs.  She attacked me personally, and accused me of making a 
> lauging stock out of the author of the letter.
> 
> I am ready to file a grievance report.  This woman even came into my class 
> during a final test and requested that I give her my keys to the office.  
> She has yet to discuss the situation with me, but I took that as a "You're 
> fired."  I also learned that they found a replacement for me within hours of 
> the posting.  Funny, since I have been doing three jobs on the staff and 
> nobody was available to assist me all semester.
> 
> I am very angstful about this.  I have probably lowered my GPA from all the 
> stress--failing my tests and all.  We shall see.
> 
> Anybody care?

This all soundss horribly familiar. I was kicked out of the local
college radio station late in 1991 for publicly critising the
(mis)management of the station. As it turned out, my criticisms were
valid, but I have still not received an apology from them.

The funniest thing about the whole issue was the way that there was
an attempt made to sue me for defamation - the last I ever heard of that
was after I threatened to publish transcripts of tape recordings I made
while talking to the station management.

I had similar loads, with no help, but they managed to find assistants
very quickly when they had to.

File the grievance report. Make copies of all documentation, and
threaten to sue them if necessary.

--
Alan Brown. (SysAdmin)
dogbowl@dogbox.acme.gen.nz                      Palmerston North
Dawghaus BBS -> +64 (6) 357-9245                New Zealand

IMPORTANT: My feedsite is munging all outgoing mail.
           Do NOT use % hacks in your return address....



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