2008 Woodie Awards
Talk back: Letters to the Editor (Mike Wallace's response)
Issue date: 2/25/05 Section: Forum
- Page 1 of 1
Dear Guilfordian,
I just recently saw your (Feb. 4) issue and discovered that you printed my "editorial"/"letter to the editor". It is beyond me why you decided to print such garbage.
The off-hand e-mail I sent to one of your editors was obviously not a serious attempt at journalistic criticism or a real editorial. It was just an e-mail and I didn't really mean for it to be taken seriously. I now have a few problems:
1. You printed this without my knowledge or permission. NEVER did I ever tell anyone on your editorial staff you could print the letter nor did you inform me you were going to do so. I have the e-mails still which obviously state my intentions and wishes for the e-mail and your ambiguity as to yours.
2. But I did say you could print it on one condition, that it remained as it was, un-edited. Because that's much funnier and you'd print the word "f---" several times. You edited so I sound like a grade school teacher. "Cut him and make him write a real article". I didn't even say that! You really took more than a few journalistic liberties in "editing" my e-mail.
3. I never signed the e-mail. I never gave you permission to print my name along with the e-mail. You lurked me on lotus notes and used your "access to student databases" to find out who I was because I used a personal e-mail address. I used one for a reason, mainly because it was a stupid e-mail that was supposed to be really stupid and I wrote it knowing it wouldn't be printed, it wasn't really serious commentary on the newspaper, Guilford or anything else for that matter.
It was "off the record", it was like a conversation. I would've said those things if we knew each other and were talking about the paper. Are you that desperate for copy that you'll print anything that gets forwarded to your inbox? I have some chain letters you can print and some really sweet deals involving free ipods and netflix. I would ask that, please, in the future, use some discretion and some decency. Don't edit and print things without asking or at least informing, and please don't print garbage.
So now I have to write a more formal letter to the editor and ask that you please DO print this letter. I think it says a lot more about your newspaper and your editorial policy than my e-mail did. Thanks.
Mike Wallace
Sophomore
EDITOR'S NOTE: Letters submitted to The Guilfordian via the website become property of the paper. All submissions will run as close to their original form as possible, though edits will be made according to our editorial policy. No significant changes will be made without consulting the submission's author.
I just recently saw your (Feb. 4) issue and discovered that you printed my "editorial"/"letter to the editor". It is beyond me why you decided to print such garbage.
The off-hand e-mail I sent to one of your editors was obviously not a serious attempt at journalistic criticism or a real editorial. It was just an e-mail and I didn't really mean for it to be taken seriously. I now have a few problems:
1. You printed this without my knowledge or permission. NEVER did I ever tell anyone on your editorial staff you could print the letter nor did you inform me you were going to do so. I have the e-mails still which obviously state my intentions and wishes for the e-mail and your ambiguity as to yours.
2. But I did say you could print it on one condition, that it remained as it was, un-edited. Because that's much funnier and you'd print the word "f---" several times. You edited so I sound like a grade school teacher. "Cut him and make him write a real article". I didn't even say that! You really took more than a few journalistic liberties in "editing" my e-mail.
3. I never signed the e-mail. I never gave you permission to print my name along with the e-mail. You lurked me on lotus notes and used your "access to student databases" to find out who I was because I used a personal e-mail address. I used one for a reason, mainly because it was a stupid e-mail that was supposed to be really stupid and I wrote it knowing it wouldn't be printed, it wasn't really serious commentary on the newspaper, Guilford or anything else for that matter.
It was "off the record", it was like a conversation. I would've said those things if we knew each other and were talking about the paper. Are you that desperate for copy that you'll print anything that gets forwarded to your inbox? I have some chain letters you can print and some really sweet deals involving free ipods and netflix. I would ask that, please, in the future, use some discretion and some decency. Don't edit and print things without asking or at least informing, and please don't print garbage.
So now I have to write a more formal letter to the editor and ask that you please DO print this letter. I think it says a lot more about your newspaper and your editorial policy than my e-mail did. Thanks.
Mike Wallace
Sophomore
EDITOR'S NOTE: Letters submitted to The Guilfordian via the website become property of the paper. All submissions will run as close to their original form as possible, though edits will be made according to our editorial policy. No significant changes will be made without consulting the submission's author.
