At the tail end of Friday's editors meeting, student media director Marti Harvey stuck around after her critique of the latest issue and explained her controversial comment to The Palm Beach Post.
Well, half of it.
While I disagreed with some – but not all – of what she said, I was impressed with both her answers and the students' follow-up questions.
This could've gotten way out of control. It didn't.
In a meeting Marti knew was on the record, she began by explaining what she meant. And she wasn't wrong.
"I think your sourcing is lacking," she said more than once. She concluded calmly and strongly...
If you would keep an open mind and listen to what I say about those things and maybe try to do better sourcing, you may come up with a better newspaper. I think you would. So please try to keep an open mind.
Interviewing has been a problem at the University Press since the first day I stepped into the newsroom. I know from talking with other advisers at yearly conventions that the UP is not alone. Young reporters these days think "multi-sourcing" means poking two people on Facebook.
But I'd like to think on our biggest stories – the most controversial ones that have earned the administration's ire – we've done our best job with the reporting, writing, editing, and design. Some of those stories have won state, regional, and national awards.
And, of course, I disagree that I teach shoddy reporting, much less "the National Enquirer method of journalism." I don't even know what that means.
But as Marti said at the end of the meeting, "I do have a right to my opinion, just as you do." And I was proud of the students for acknowledging this, and for staying (mostly) calm and respectful. I've said many times: We dish it, we got to take it. Nothing rankles readers like a thin-skinned journalist.
By the end of the meeting, the exchanges grew terser when Marti refused to answers questions about this phrase: "and FAU has put up with it for 12 years." She referred the editors to Media Relations for a formal interview.
That incensed the editors, but I understand why Marti clammed up. Since Marti has worked at FAU only since January, it implies FAU officials told her they despised my advising. Which means Marti was lying when she said my firing was a "structural change" that had nothing "to do with anything Michael has done."
Listen to Marti's comments and the students' questions.
At the end of the tape, which abruptly cuts off for some reason, you'll hear my voice. I'm agreeing with Marti that we can always use better sourcing.
