By

Journalistic integrity: MIA at Mac Weekly
Several days ago, I received a note from another student, telling me not to take personal offense over a Letter to the Editor in The Mac Weekly’s Sept. 29 edition about a quote from me in the Sept. 22 issue. This was the first I had heard about a quote or a Letter to the Editor involving me. I soon realized the reason for my confusion – I never actually gave The Mac Weekly a quote.

The writer’s use of something I said on the Facebook website as a quote demonstrates an extreme lack of professionalism. She had many other options, including contacting me for a quote after reading a post that indicated I might have something to say on the subject. Rather than supporting the points made in the article, her inappropriate use of a quote from an online message board displays a lack of concern for both the integrity of the newspaper and the impact it has on readers.

My “quote” was taken out of context and used without my knowledge, which, as the Letter to the Editor indicates, led to a misconstrued impression of my opinion on the subject. I found the Letter to the Editor more disheartening than offensive (it unfortunately demonstrates several of the unconstructive attitudes which I have found among several students). While I did become tired of defending my choice of school, the quote was misused and distorted.

In the future, I hope that The Mac Weekly writers and editors show a greater consideration for journalistic integrity.

Jamie Moore (’10)