[Boston-editorial] center article?

Fri Jun 3 18:08:57 PDT 2005

cool.  I agree with Matt about new folks checking in
first.  Actually, the article in question does not
meet our guideline exactly because we have no idea
where it came from, so does anybody know that this is
a local.  I find it curious that there is no mention
of place in this thing.  Plus I am suspicious of it's
authenticity a little.  Anytime you have a single
anonymous source the position is weak.  As far as I
can see this is just one discontented guy in the army,
how do we know that others feel like him?  How do we
know he really exists?  

Both of these questions could have been answered by
the author with some more footwork.  Like interviewing
other soldiers to see if the feelings he expressed are
common, and also by getting him to say more about the
army life in specific, like what job he does and how
is it done?  If he knows something technical that only
a soldier would know, or knows the army lingo, then
that could at least give him a little credibility
without exposing who he is. 

As is this is questionable.  

-Pete

--- Sofia JarrinT <sofiajt at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I agree with the "apprenticeship" (wow! long word)
> process, indeed.  It's such a good article that I
> got
> overexcited.  sorry.  I leave it up to you guys/gals
> to decide unhiding.  I don't have access to the
> internet yet (moved homes), so I'm not sure I'll be
> checking email this weekend.
> 
> Sharpie-san, the ball's on your court ;)
> 
> sj
> 
> --- Matthew Williams <mw21 at mindspring.com> wrote:
> 
> > The interview looks OK to me. Is there a reason it
> > was hidden?
> > 
> > As a general rule, I don't think checking in on
> > whether or not to 
> > center an article makes sense. We've developed the
> > center column 
> > guidelines collectively to guide our individual
> > decisions. The only 
> > time folks really need to check in is if something
> > is iffy. That way we 
> > can get article up promptly. Occasionally, there
> are
> > disagreements, 
> > when one person thinks something that someone else
> > centered is 
> > inappropriate, but those are surprisingly few. But
> > we've been over this 
> > before and I've no desire to beat dead horses ...
> > 
> > In this particular case though, I would have liked
> > it if Sofia had 
> > waited for a response before centering it. Why?
> > Because she's a new 
> > editor and still learning the ropes. Indeed, when
> we
> > agreed to make you 
> > an editor, you had indicated you would check in on
> > things like this, 
> > Sofia. It's what Tim did when he first became an
> > editor, last fall. 
> > It's what I did when I first became en editor, a
> > couple years ago. I 
> > don't think this "apprenticeship" period would
> need
> > to last very 
> > long--a month or so, depending on how active you
> are
> > in editing. I know 
> > you've been lurking on this a while, which means
> you
> > probably have a 
> > good sense of how we make decisions, but it would
> > still be good for you 
> > to check in--you're now actively applying the
> > criteria we developed, 
> > instead of passively watching others do so, and it
> > would be good to 
> > make sure that you're on the same page as the rest
> > of us (in so far as 
> > any of us are on the same page) now that you're
> > actively involved. That 
> > way we can keep any mistakes and resulting heated
> > exchanges to a 
> > minimum. This is a as much about keeping the peace
> > in the collective as 
> > it is making sure we have good material in our
> > center column.
> > 
> > Last editorial meeting, we agreed we'd like to
> > revisit the center 
> > column guidelines sometime in the near future
> (after
> > we finish revising 
> > the general editorial policy, which Pete should be
> > drafting based on 
> > our collective in-put at the last meeting). If all
> > of you who are new 
> > editors get actively involved in that
> conversation,
> > that would actually 
> > be really good--then we'll all have been a part of
> > deciding on the 
> > guidelines and everyone will have an active
> > understanding of what they 
> > are.
> > 
> > bread and roses,
> > Matt
> > 
> > On Jun 3, 2005, at 12:12 PM, Sofia JarrinT wrote:
> > 
> > > hi,
> > > yup, I know we've talked about this many times.
> > It's
> > > hard.  We mentioned letting at least 1 day to go
> > by to
> > > allow members weigh in, unless it's a timely
> > issue. We
> > > also mentioned having at least 2 members say
> yes,
> > and
> > > then moving forward.  I guess for something as
> > > sensitive as this, I should have waited 1 day.
> > >
> > > Ps: I don't think Jay is with MFSO.  See his bio
> > at
> > > the end of the article:
> > >
> > > Jay Shaft is a freelance writer and the editor
> for
> > an
> > > independent news group Coalition for Free
> Thought
> > In
> > > Media http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CFTMGroup.
> He
> > has
> > > covered numerous issues, including homelessness
> > and
> > > poverty, human rights, the use of cluster bombs
> > and
> > > depleted uranium, civilian and military deaths
> in
> > the
> > > ongoing US-led wars and occupations, and civil
> > > liberties and freedom.
> > >
> > > Jay has conducted many interviews with soldiers
> > who
> > > have served in Iraq, in which service members
> > exposed
> > > the issues of the military's failure to provide
> > proper
> > > equipment and training to US troops, and he has
> > been
> > > on the forefront of investigating the price that
> > > soldiers are paying as a result.
> > >
> > > Jay has also published many letters from parents
> > > speaking out against the deaths of their
> children
> > > serving in Iraq.
> > >
> > > SEE:
> > > A US Soldier Writes From Iraq
> > > http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0402/S00088.htm
> > >
> > > Letter From A Soldier's Mother: Soldier's Are
> Not
> > > Combat Ready!
> > > http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0402/S00099.htm
> > >
> > > For Families of Some Killed in Iraq: Grief,
> > Outrage
> > > and Protest
> > >
> >
>
http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=705
> > >
> > > Celeste Zappala Interview "The pain of my son's
> > death
> > > does not get any better, it just gets worse as
> > time
> > > goes on."
> > > http://www.williambowles.info/iraq/zappala.html
> > >
> > > Sue Niederer Interview- President Bush, You
> Killed
> > My
> > > Son!
> > > http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0409/S00032.htm
> > >
> > > 8/29 RNC/NYC Anti-War Protest Interview With Sue
> > > Niederer
> > > http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0408/S00302.htm
> > >
> > > US Soldiers to America: Bring Us Home Now (Part
> 5
> > > linked to other 4 parts in series)
> > > http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0310/S00195.htm
> > >
> > >
> > > --- sharpie at riseup.net wrote:
> > >
> > >> Hey sofia, thanks. I just emailed Jay asking
> him
> > for
> > >> the contact info of
> > >> his  connection at MFSO, hopefully we'll hear
> > back
> > >> soon.
> > >>
> > >> To everyone on the list, this is my main
> concern
> > >> with letting folks just
> > >> center things after such a short period of
> time.
> > >> Obviously Sofia had the
> > >> best of intentions, but I had a concern that
> she
> > >> just didn't consider.
> > >> This is why I think we should have a more
> ordered
> > >> process for centering
> > >> articles.
> > >>
> > >> I think if someone from within the collective
> > were
> > >> to say "yo, i'm going
> > >> to write an article about fred phelps" that's
> one
> > >> thing, and perhaps we
> > >> can figure out a way to make it clear that each
> > >> article written by a
> > >> collective member reflects their specific take
> on
> > >> our collectively agreed
> > >> upon process/mission. But if its from the
> > newswire,
> > >> I feel like there
> > >> definitely needs to be a more specific process
> > for
> > >> centering.
> > >>
> > >> peace
> > >> sharpie
> > >> PS its my feeling that there should be a more
> > >> ordered process for all
> > >> "features" but I am certainly more willing to
> > bend
> > >> on collective members'
> > >> work
> > >>
> > >>> oh, I'm sorry!! I just centered it.  Should I
> > put
> > 
> === message truncated ===
> 
> 
> "Truly, there is no future without forgiveness."
> Desmond Tutu
> 
> "Non-violence is not inaction. It is not discussion.
> It is not for the timid or weak...Non-violence is
> hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is
> the patience to win." Cesar Chavez
> 
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