Why we published 'Put down your beer and volunteer'
For better or worse, we see The Maneater's Forum section as a place for candid conversation and freedom from censorship. We present the majority opinion of our editorial board on campus issues and offer a free forum for MU students and others to share their thoughts, and we also hire six columnists to share their opinions.
Our columnists are selected after they submit sample two columns, and The Maneater's editorial board votes to select six. We give preference given to those applicants who tackle campus issues and who show strong writing. Once our columnists have been hired, we generally edit for length and style, not for content. As our Forum page states, the opinions expressed in columns and cartoons don't necessarily reflect the opinion of The Maneater's editorial board.
This policy has gotten us in trouble before. In 2006, The Maneater ran a number of letters to the editor protesting one of columnist Dan Friesen's 2007 columns. In fact, we added a page to the Forum section to accommodate the extra letters.
At press time, we had received 18 letters from students protesting Sean Nahlik's column from Monday's edition of The Maneater. We have again expanded our Forum section to accommodate more of those responses, and they will all run online.
I'm glad to see the response. We don't intend these columns or the opinions expressed in our editorials to go uncontested. Today we also have two letters from people who disagree with our editorial stance against concealed carry on campus, also from Monday's issue of The Maneater. And we've made it as easy as possible to respond. In January, we introduced a link next to every story to submit a letter to the editor.
I hope you'll continue to tell us and our columnists when we've got it wrong. Our goal is to start a conversation, and that conversation is certainly going strong today.
If you are outraged by the content of this opinion page, I would also encourage you to check back to themaneater.com at the end of the semester, when we will release applications for next year's columnist positions. Each applicant must submit two sample columns. If hired, you would be responsible for one 600-word column every week, and we pay $10 per column.
Comments (13)
1:50 a.m., Feb. 21, 2009
Phoebe said:
I'd like to know why this particular column was published as well. Surely there were better columns or perhaps this was a slow week? Without an explanation it seems the selection of this column was used purposefully to elicit angry responses in addition to increasing readership, well, at least for one issue.
12:55 p.m., Feb. 21, 2009
Elliot Njus said:
At the beginning of the year, the majority of our editorial board voted to hire Sean Nahlik to write one column every week. Once we've hired a columnist, we don't edit their columns for the opinions expressed. We only correct grammar, style and errors of fact. Ultimately the column is the work of the columnist. It is very rare that we reject a column outright, just as it is rare we reject a guest column or letter to the editor. Because Nahlik is a regular columnist, this particular column was not in any way selected, to raise our readership or otherwise. It was just the column that he submitted this week, and it wasn't printed at the expense of any other columns. I hope that clears up both of your questions, but if not, please leave another comment and I'll give it another shot.
5:13 p.m., Feb. 21, 2009
Madene said:
I'm still disgusted that you allowed this trash in your paper. It was not written well, and it was not factually correct. I suggest Sean take a few more writing classes (including one on Ethics in Journalism), and I suggest you hire better writers.
7:01 p.m., Feb. 21, 2009
Brittany said:
For the record, columnists are not journalists held to the same regard as journalist for the Maneater, the Missourian, KBIA, KOMU, etc. I, too, am a member of the Greek community. However, as a journalist I must correct the entire community on one thing. Op-ed columns differ greatly from actual reporting. Mr. Nahlik has the right to voice, not report, the way he views the Greek community. If, and only if, he had fabricated some details and presented them as facts with quoted support would he be in an violation of ethics and perhaps bias. Just because someone offends you by diluting what you believe to be factual does not automatically declare them unethical. The anger of the Greek community is understandable. However, do not become the pot calling the kettle black by running the Maneater and the Journalist's Creed through the mud. So it's true that the Greek community has a few beers and volunteers. So Nahlk may have spotlighted a part of the Greek community that isn't it's finest. Let's not act as if the entire campus doesn't know about the CEOs and Tennis Hoes parties the community is notorious for. Do what you do, and get over it. Not everyone is going to be in alignment with everything the community does, and let's be real, some people find the Greek community to be a huddle of paid friendships and beer pong. You know the truth so brush it off your shoulders and move on. But again, I say do not confuse the idea of ethics, and stop laying into the editors. As Americans we thrive off of the democratic voice. Whether it be right or wrong, there is opinion. Sorry if opinions offend you. You cannot please everyone, but like my mother always told me, "There's not sense getting upset about something if, it's not true." Why so angry?
12:45 p.m., Feb. 22, 2009
Kyle said:
There's no conversation here, Elliot. I see only poor editorial judgment. Pushing the envelope involves doing your homework first. That goes for Sean Nahlik and the entirety of The Maneater's editorial staff. A columnist and editorial board who uses the words "start a conversation" like their lecturing their readers needs to shut up and really listen to them for once: This didn't pass muster with us, the student community you purport to represent. Fix this problem. Fire Sean Nahlik.
1:04 p.m., Feb. 22, 2009
John said:
"This didn't pass muster with us, the student community you purport to represent. Fix this problem. Fire Sean Nahlik." Funny, I don't think you represent the student community. It appears that maybe 50 people out of 28,000 MU students responded. As noted by Brittany, this column was an OP-ED, not a ARTICLE OR NEWS STORY. A column by definition is someones opinion... Much like Andy Rooney, but I'm sure you have never heard of him. A Column is supposed to represent one view, and through other means the other side can respond, as they did in the editorials. So both sides gave their point, now move on. The author did nothing wrong and broke no journalism rules. He is a columnist, not a writer.
7:42 p.m., Feb. 22, 2009
Robert said:
I understand that the Maneater wants to "start discussion" or "raise questions" or whatever the hell they are going for, but did it have to be in such an incompetent way? As a member of the Greek community, I am offended by the things that was said about us as a whole in that article. Considering the things that we have done for this community as a whole, we should get a little more respect. The All-Greek GPA is HIGHER than the All-Mizzou average every semester. Yes, we party; but we get school work done as well. And for everyone that appreciates homecoming, predominately Greeks put on house decorations to raise several thousand dollars for various charitable causes. And last I checked, the Greek 30% of Mizzou grads have donated more money back to the school than the 70% of the non-Greeks. I'm not trying to put anyone down or say that being Greek is the only way to go, but get your facts right if you're going to attack us. I can't defend your allegations of sorority girls being drunk on Facebook or taken dumb pictures of themselves, but they are still doing their part to better the community as a whole. Its college: everyone parties on the weekend, but its what you do Monday through Friday that really counts. We get grades, we hold philanthropic events, and we volunteer. Sorry we have fun in the process.
10:51 p.m., Feb. 22, 2009
Gregg said:
The publication of this editorial much less even considering publishing this article truly illustrates the level that The Maneater has fallen to- that is, dirt floor poor. Though the article had numerous edits to pass not a single editor faced the clear lack of fact-checking, inflammatory, offensive language and general baseness of the writer's attacks. This is the very lax and judgemental attitude that floated around the newsroom and the very reason I quit my work for The Maneater.
12:31 p.m., Feb. 23, 2009
Amy said:
The University of Missouri has a Greek system unlike any other. When attacked as a whole, we unite together. Millions of people around the country are or were Greek at some point. It has been a college tradition for centuries. This is a bad representation of our university to allow this trash to be published. As tigers, we are supposed to well represent our school, and fellow students. Being a University of Missouri tiger is much more than just going to our daily classes. It’s about respecting each other, and showing everyone how amazing our school is. And this was not done. This article coming out of such a prestigious journalism school is an abomination. Sean should be ashamed to call himself a tiger.
1:45 p.m., Feb. 23, 2009
Rob said:
I'm okay with someone writing something offensive about me as long as it is A) well written and B) clever or true. Sean Nahlik's article was neither. I'm not angry at the Maneater for printing it. Sean has every right to express his opinion. However we have every right to point out how he is wrong and why he is a tool for having such a warped opinion of us. The article was nothing short of an attack. It was not a criticism. My question is why would Sean feel the need to do that? What have we done to him? Is it the general arrogance of the Greek community that offends him so much? If so that would have been a much more pertinent and constructive article to write than one about our supposed drinking problems that apparently are not shared by our GDI counterparts. Also I will reiterate (although not restate the numbers) that the Greek community is incredibly involved in philanthropic and university activities. Sean Nahlik, if you keep writing like this, you will always be a loser.
8:15 a.m., Feb. 25, 2009
Kyle said:
John, I know who Andy Rooney is. However inane you find his babble on 60 Minutes (Why did you pick him, for God sakes?), he is obligated by the fact that his Column is backed by the credibility of a venerated news organization (CBS) to make assertions based on fact. Sean Nahlik grossly neglected to do this. You're right that he has the right to express his opinion, but the question to me is whether he is granted the use of the platform the Maneater provides. I shouldn't have purported to speak for the student body, and I'm sorry for that, John... but the overwhelming response to the column WAS negative. It really didn't "pass muster" with most students. The Maneater should have exercised more mature editorial restraint, but Nahlik should ultimately be held accountable for what he wrote.
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9:19 p.m., Feb. 20, 2009
Nick said:
So, why exactly did that get published? Please, do not respond with another thinly veiled recruiting pitch.