FOR THE last two weeks, as the election controversy has unfolded, the national media has kept up a phenomenal level of coverage on the events in Florida. Laudably, so has The Cavalier Daily. And unlike the national media, particularly television news, the high level of election coverage in The Cavalier Daily hasn't obviated all other news stories.
What makes it truly remarkable is that The Cavalier Daily has done this without the vast resources of the national media conglomerates, which can leverage their affiliate networks, their substantial financial resources, their established and well-developed network of contacts, and their state-of-the-art equipment in producing their coverage. The Cavalier Daily, as the saying goes, had to make do with less.
Yet, the observant reader would have noted in the last few weeks that many of The Cavalier Daily stories were posted from Florida. The paper sent staff down to cover the election going-ons, for the purposes of direct coverage. The on-site reporters allowed The Cavalier Daily to provide more than just a pastiche of Associated Press wire coverage and what was reported on CNN and MSNBC. There are small-town commercial newspapers which didn't or couldn't do the same.
What makes this coverage so remarkable on the part of The Cavalier Daily is that the staff is fitting in their work as journalists around being full-time students. The other people providing intensive coverage do so as their means of making a living. The Cavalier Daily staff shows a dedication to reporting and journalism that is truly admirable, and far exceeds what most collegiate newspapers are able to do, much less those papers not funded by their college directly.
The coverage has been seemingly well-balanced, though on the Wednesday following election day, there was some confusion. The Cavalier Daily did have one of the best Wednesday morning headlines in the country with "Dubya?"
In part, Wednesday's reportage seemed to merely reflect the national level of confusion over the outcome, although undoubtedly it was helped by the fact that the paper's staff held on through that long election night, not putting the paper to bed until early Wednesday morning, many sleepless hours later than normal. Sleep deprivation makes story composition, layout and editing all the harder. There seemed to be a few more typos than normal in the days that followed, but the excitement generated by the coverage of the breaking story made them hardly noticeable.
More noticeable has been some of the editorial columnists' poor level of commentary on the election. Too much ink wasted on ad hominem attacks on the candidates, not enough on commenting about the history being made all around the country, and particularly in Florida. Need an example? See Timothy DuBoff's Thursday, Nov. 16 column, "For Nader, all that's left is one crushed ego."
From the opening sentence informing us that Ralph Nader can "kiss [his] ass," to his meandering attack on Nader's ill-fated campaign as egomaniacal, this was space wasted that otherwise might have held thoughtful, reflective commentary. Mr. DuBoff is not the only offender in recent weeks, but his opening commentary is what you expect from disgruntled barflies in response to the evening news, not an opinion columnist.
When a columnist has a point to make - as Mr. DuBoff did - he or she should take care not to fall to easy and inflammatory rhetoric - turning the opinion page into a print version of talk radio call-in shows. Likewise, avoid casual insult. It is beneath the commentator, it cheapens the argument, and it serves no informative or interesting purpose. It is a petty shot, at best.
I mentioned at the beginning of my column that The Cavalier Daily hadn't ignored local coverage in favor of the national stories, and there is one example in particular I would like to praise this week. The paper has covered the issue of the Fourth-Year Fifth, and the potential damage it can do to a life. It is a foolish and useless tradition, and the paper's condemnation of the tradition in the lead editorial - which expresses the institutional view of The Cavalier Daily - was appropriate and admirable.
While few would think of endorsing this ridiculous practice, The Cavalier Daily took a public stand against it. As an alumnus of the University, I know this has not always been the case, and I applaud The Cavalier Daily for their position. It shows a respect for the wellbeing of their fellow students, and a reasonable approach to the traditions of the University.
(Brent Garland can be reached at ombud@cavalierdaily.com)
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