What if a 694 student called the chancellor a "whoremonger" in her blog? Or, what if a KUJH-TV reporter writes a story about his landlord saying the landlord is a cokehead?
These are two real lawsuits filed against Yale's student tabloid magazine "Rumpus."
Where were the editors of the Yale's tabloid, Rumpus, who let both these scenarios happen? Doesn't Yale teach its students how to make editorial decisions? Whoever says the Ivy League sets higher standards is in for a rude awakening.
Libel is one of the most popular lawsuits brought against the news industry. I think a big fraction of all libel lawsuits could be avoided by building a staff of experienced editors. Rick has already said that, as a whole, we lack good, online copy editing skills.
Our online class works in conjunction with several classes. A lot of material is transferred between them. For example, I worked with KUJH-TV reporter Jake Yadrich, on an in-depth package. Due to our busy schedules, most of my editing questions had to be answered over the phone or through e-mail. When I was campus editor for the University Daily Kansan, I found a one-on-one session with the reporter was more effective than a phone session.
The way I see it, copy flow is like a game of secret. If you continue to pass the same information through a network, you increase the chance it will be altered and the final product will be nothing like the original. That's one way newspaper's get sued for libel.
The multimedia newsroom has a tight budget, nowhere near the size of the Kansan's. Any type of settlement would ruin our success. The cases against Rumpus cost Yale $10, 000 -۠an expensive editorial mistake. Try going to the donors and asking them for more money after something like that hits the stands -- or the web.
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