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(05/01/17 4:22am)
The Cavalier Daily has a propensity for publishing humor pieces and editorial cartoons which cross a line with readers. The newspaper faced public backlash in 2007 when cartoons depicted offensive and racially insensitive images. More recently, the 2015 managing board was obliged to issue an apology for an “April Fools” issue in which two articles centered on race-related satire. Humor authors should be wary of writing pieces which may be at best, in bad taste, and at worst incredibly offensive to readers. While this is universally true for all authors, current staff at The Cavalier Daily should be particularly conscious of the historical context of race relations at the University and the past missteps of the paper.
(04/21/17 4:28am)
The Cavalier Daily editors have been working to increase engagement with readers, primarily through social media platforms such as Facebook. Online interactions with readers have been on the rise. On April 17, The Cavalier Daily held a roundtable discussion with University student leaders, including representatives from the Minority Rights Coalition, Student Council, Honor, the Black Student Alliance and the University Program Council. Individuals were able to ask questions through Facebook during the live round table discussion. This video was a highly efficient way to reach a large audience, and the video currently has over 3,200 views.
(04/14/17 4:06am)
The Muslim Student Association at the University has been putting on events in honor of Islam Awareness Month. Programming kicked off this week and will continue for the rest of April. There are plans for a brunch event, a fundraiser for the International Rescue Committee, a professional panel and an informational session about the different sects of Islam. The Cavalier Daily regularly covers student activities and events, but it seems to have missed much of this programming. Perhaps authors were waiting to cover larger events towards the end of the month, but this omission currently seems glaring.
(04/07/17 3:21am)
This past week The Cavalier Daily has published a large number of articles that shed light on some financial matters here at the University. Authors discussed the salaries awarded to university presidents in Virginia and highly paid University officials. Several pieces also discussed newly released documents that reveal possible preferential treatment for the children of major donors during the admissions process. Much of the information in these pieces came through the Freedom of Information Act. This law was passed in 1967 and established the right for citizens to request information from the federal government. Members of the press have frequently used information obtained through FOIA to break stories.
(03/31/17 1:47am)
Concern about liberal bias in The Cavalier Daily is one of the most common complaints from readers. Is there truly a slant in reporting? If so, how concerned should readers be? Is it possible The Cavalier Daily engages with a more diverse reader base than other newspapers? Newspapers like The New York Times and Washington Post typically attract readers who agree with the political leanings expressed in these papers. This contributes to a confirmation bias for their readers. As a state, Virginia has shifted from a consistently conservative state to a swing state. In 2008 then-Sen. Barack Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry Virginia since 1964. On average, graduates of the University are slightly left of center, making them moderate liberals. However, the Virginia Law School has been identified as more conservative than other elite law schools in the country. There seems to be a fair mix of liberals and conservatives at the University.
(03/24/17 4:09am)
Are online comment sections a thing of the past? Should they be? The debate about online comment sections has carried on for the past several years. Originally, online comment sections were an effective way for the public to share their opinion about news articles and have informed discussions about current events in real time. Opponents claim that comments are often vulgar, offensive or simply irrelevant. These comments may sway others’ opinion about a piece or provide information that is not factual. While many news sources moderate online comments such as Fox News and The New York Times, others have phased out online commenting entirely. News outlets such as CNN, Reuters and Popular Science have scaled back or eliminated their comment sections altogether.
(03/20/17 4:16am)
Grammatical errors and typos have become increasingly present in The Cavalier Daily. Mistakes are understandable and sometimes corrections are necessary. Large, professional newspapers such as The Washington Post and The New York Times print corrections to articles, although they do so sparingly. Last week The Cavalier Daily mislabeled a photo of Student Council President, Sarah Kenny. The caption of the photo described her as a Batten student when she is actually a student in the College. This error was handled appropriately and corrected shortly thereafter.
(03/03/17 5:06am)
If you are among the small number of people who don’t use ad-block when browsing online, you may have noticed some odd advertisements on The Cavalier Daily website. There are appropriate ads for class council applications, other graduate school programs or the Cavalier Calendar, which now includes information about events around Grounds. Unfortunately, there are also some advertisements that appear to be little more than click-bait, with misleading or evocative headlines. These ads raise two distinct concerns about credibility with readers and transparency with revenues.
(02/24/17 5:12am)
Some articles recently published by The Cavalier Daily have readers grumbling about the obvious points made by authors. Senatorial behavior is divisive? Partisanship is killing redistricting reform? We need more civics education? What else is new? These pieces are well written and make clear points but there is little nuance or style in the way the arguments are presented. Articles should have a clear angle and titles should encourage readers to read on, not stop them in their tracks. One of the most challenging aspects of journalism is finding an angle for an article. However, this is also an excellent opportunity for authors to develop their voice and tackle issues in an interesting and informative manner.
(02/17/17 5:07am)
In a recent piece, The Cavalier Daily’s editorial board asserted that arrest rates in the United States are generally too high and can have damaging effects on communities and individuals. There is a substantial amount of literature and empirical evidence detailing disparities in the criminal justice system from policing practices to bail and plea bargains. However, the authors did not provide enough background and did not detail existing laws surrounding arrests. The argument stands relatively unsupported and is generally ambiguous. This brief article may leave readers with some unanswered questions about current policy and the power that police officers have to arrest an individual.
(02/10/17 5:01am)
Opinion pieces allow authors to present a specific argument to readers. Alongside objective and fair reporting on current events, these columns provide authors with a platform to express their ideas about an issue. These articles clearly articulate one side of debate and often align with views held by a subset of readers. In some recent Opinion columns published by the Cavalier Daily, authors have employed language that seems unnecessarily divisive. At a time when the political climate is becoming increasingly polarized and individuals on both sides of the aisle are talking past one another, it is imperative that journalists present clear and level-headed arguments.
(02/06/17 5:02am)
Numbers can tell a story, but the brief list of “notable numbers” published this week in the opinion section demonstrates a lack of forethought. The Cavalier Daily regularly reports a short list of important numbers, typically centered on a single topic such as housing, the election, or sports. However, it is unclear what narrative the Editorial Board intended to present to readers in the most recent list. The numbers are not arranged in any logical or numerical manner, and do not seem to be tied together in a substantive sense.
(01/27/17 5:00am)
With over 1,000 organizations listed in the online student directory, student organizations make up a core tenant of U.Va. culture. The Fall Activities Fair occurs before classes begin in August and traditionally draws an enormous crowd. Leaders of organizations hand out flyers, speak to new students and gather emails for listservs. There are popsicles, free stickers and lots of water bottles. After signing up for a dozen or so clubs, students typically end up settling on one or two organizations and dedicate a significant portion of their time to them. It is common for students to fill their evenings with CIO meetings and intramural sporting events.
(01/20/17 10:00am)
The Cavalier Daily holds a unique position within our community. In keeping with University values for student self-governance and the level of autonomy seen at other college newspapers, the organization is entirely student run. This independence allows the newspaper to report on issues deemed most important by the students of the University. However, students do not make up the entirety of The Cavalier Daily’s readership. Members of the Charlottesville community, University alumni and many others read the publication and have a considerable stake in the institution. The newspaper is able to provide community members and alumni with insight into the current climate of the University. Unfortunately, the nature of this organizational structure can sometimes make it difficult for all readers to share their views and provide feedback.
(12/02/16 6:27pm)
Choosing to write about politics is commendable and beneficial for the community, particularly in a time when many seem disillusioned with politicians and the political system more broadly. There is value in producing a well written, clearly argued article that expresses a political opinion. However, using The Cavalier Daily as a public platform to share ideas and information about politics comes with responsibility. Authors need to explain their position in simple, concise terms, and provide accurate information in their pieces. Some recent political Opinion articles have contained confusing language, grammatical mistakes and some inappropriate sources.
(11/18/16 10:47am)
As a student-run newspaper it is understandable that The Cavalier Daily focuses on events and issues within the University community. However, lately there has been an undue concentration on issues central only to the University. This is a call to expand coverage and contextualize issues on Grounds to ensure that community members have engaging and relevant material to read. It is slightly redundant to publish multiple articles on one specific topic. The Thomas Jefferson quote controversy has been granted too many headlines. The issue is important, and this critique is not to diminish either side of the argument or the validity of the conversation. Nonetheless, it does not warrant three articles on the front page of The Cavalier Daily’s website. These pieces are relatively short, and could be edited to present the entire discussion, including University President Teresa Sullivan’s response and the Student Council conversation, in one article.
(11/11/16 11:44am)
Finding links to Cavalier Daily articles on Facebook is never a challenging task. Students tend to share articles, excitedly promoting a specific topic or event. These articles spark conversation and provide important information to the community at large. However, once an individual reads the article in question, are they going to continue perusing the website or quickly head back to a social media platform? The short answer is community members are unlikely to spend much time on the outdated website.