After the Jena Six protest failed to take off October 1, a comparative history of ideas student approached me in the newsroom to partly blame the failure on a professor from the CHID department.
Chaim Eliyah didn’t name the professor, but he said she told The Daily about the rally, but didn’t tell any clubs on campus. He said the small numbers weren’t from a lack of interest in the Jena Six incidents.
Members of organizations that would be interest, such as the Black Student Union, weren’t aware of the protest until they picked up a copy of The Daily Monday morning. If they had been told ahead of time, they might have made a stronger presence, he said.
After explaining the situation, we edited a response he posted online and it will be published in Friday’s “Freedom Speech Friday” section.
Jena Six refers to a civil rights incident where six black, Louisiana, high-school students were arrested and charged for attempted murder, after beating up a white student. Many claimed the charges unfair, and they were later dismissed, according to a New York Times article.
Civil rights issues were initially brought up at the school, when black students decide to break a tradition and sit under a tree that only white students typically sat under.
In response, three nooses were hung in the tree, and the symbol was reportedly repeated sporadically throughout the country.
See the New York Times full story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/us/19jena.html
The Daily Stories:
http://www.thedaily.washington.edu/article/2007/10/1/jenaSixProtestTodayOnHubLawn
http://thedaily.washington.edu/article/2007/10/2/walkoutFailsToTakeOff
Good 2nd post. I like this idea for the blog. It could be like an “ombudsman” blog, explaining why The Daily did or didn’t do X. Excellent to put in links to the articles on the Jena 6, both locally and nationally. And the title (headline) has lots of words that a search engine might “like.” Three suggestions:
–You’ve probably identified the professor without actually naming him/her. Since he/she is being criticized, it would be fairer to seek comment from him/her.
–Watch out for passive voice. The presence of “by” is often a signal, but it’s not the only one. “Three nooses were hung (by someone)” is PV, as is “students were arrested and charged” (by someone) and “civil rights issues were brought up” (by someone). These are situations in which the “by” is implied.
–Typo in the first sentence of the third graph, and more appear later. Be sure to proofread your work. ++