Welcome inside The Post

This blog will give an inside account of The Post, the independent, student-run daily newspaper in Athens, Ohio, covering Ohio University and the surrounding area.

This is an independent project that I, the managing editor, am doing for a class. It is based on my own observation and interviews I do with other editors, as well as my own research into how other newspapers are serving their readers by doing similar behind-the-scenes blogs. A good example of blogging endeavors such as this is The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash. In an effort to make their news judgment more transparent, they have several blogs on their Web site, including the Daily Briefing, which was my inspiration to start this blog. This excellent blog accounts the decisions made in news meetings and is an example of the supplementary opportunities online journalism give to the traditional news media. Their award-winning Web site even features webcasts of news meetings.

While my project is a work in progress, it will hopefully give readers a better understanding of decisions for we make at the newspaper in an effort to make The Post a more transparent publication. It will also give a glimpse of student life as a “Postie.” As Assistant Managing Editor Matt Burns put it, I am The Post autobiographer.

This blog does not undergo any editorial control except for my own judgment. We do not currently have anything written into our policies directly addressing bloggers. However, all Post employees sign a policy pledging to “not engage in activities that could sway their ethics or reasonably be perceived as a sway.” We also pledge to “remain objective and maintain consistency in their dissemination of the truth.” I expect these basic journalistic standards to apply to this blog. One interesting part of our policies reads: “Post staff members should ask themselves if they or the newspaper can fully and publicly disclose the situation without fear of embarrassment or legitimate criticism.” This blog opens up a new window of disclosure that is not currently supported in our policies for all Post employees. However, myself and the other executive editors have approved it, partly because it is a class project not directly affiliated with The Post, and also because this is a year of experimenting with the way things work in general at our newspaper.

I appreciate any feedback about what you like/dislike about the blog and what you would like to see more of.