Column:

Reporter on probation after accidental conflict

By Elliot Njus

Published Feb. 5, 2009

A school the size of MU is filled with interesting people, and we do everything we can to put them in the pages of our paper.

We rely on our reporting staff to help us find them, but we don't allow our reporters to interview or profile close friends. We count on a few degrees of separation to keep our stories accurate and unbiased.

But a story in last week's issue didn't meet that standard. The reporter who wrote the profile "MU freshman a mash-up DJ" had a personal relationship with the subject in the story that she did not disclose to her editor, who found out from a third party.

The reporter disclosed the relationship immediately when asked about it, and we have no reason to believe her intent was malicious or that the story was misrepresented in any way. As a learning newspaper, we don't turn people away when we can avoid it.

Given the severity of the conflict, we have placed the reporter on probation for the remainder of the semester. She will continue to write for The Maneater, but under more careful supervision.

I sincerely apologize for our error, and I'd like to assure you that we will continue striving toward the highest standard of accurate and quality reporting.

Elliot Njus

Editor-in-Chief, The Maneater

enjus@themaneater.com