Ahoy, todos.
This week flew by in a flurry of meetings, errands, planning, writing and, occasionally, classwork. Sure, it was busy, but I also had all week long to look forward to the Post Alumni Reunion this weekend.
A whole bunch of former Posties will be in town to, you know, reunite and meet and talk with one another and current staffers. The Post’s history can be traced back 102 years and, during that time, it has been a fantastic news outlet and awesome training ground for aspiring journalists, designers, photographers and businesspeople.
I humbly assert that The Post is a staple on campus, and I am proud to have been part of it during my time at Ohio University. The pages of The Post have been rich with history through the decades — our newsroom is decorated with old editions reporting historic events, from the Kent State shootings in 1970 to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Post alumni are Pulitzer Prize-winners (like Clarence Page, who returned to campus this week and was kind enough to break bread and chat with Posties for two hours), public relations experts, successful advertisers and staff staples in newsrooms throughout the country. I am proud to join them and excited to beat the geezers in the annual basketball game between current staffers and alumni.
Many other people will also be celebrating this weekend, though perhaps for different reasons. Palmer Fest and Palmer Place Fest will keep law enforcement on their toes and undoubtedly dozens of partiers will be arrested for a variety of reasons.
I urge everyone, as usual, to know the law and to follow it. If you don’t, you will likely find yourself in handcuffs and, quite possibly, on the front page of The Post. Monday’s edition of The Post featured one such student being led down the street by two police officers after being arrested during High Fest.
The student contacted The Post asking if the photograph could be taken off the website Monday afternoon. I was never able to reach the student, but if I had I would have explained the photograph was taken in a public place, so it was legal.
I also consider using the photograph both in print and online ethical. It’s never our intention to air anyone’s dirty laundry for the sake of having sensational stories in our publication. Arrests are a very real part of fest season, and it would be unethical to fail to represent that reality in the newspaper.
During the Schuneman Symposium Tuesday, Stan Alost said something very interesting about photojournalism and the role it plays in news. Alost, who is interim director of the School of Visual Communications, said photographs force us to look back at ourselves from a different perspective. That applies directly to Post photographers and the situation at hand. They do not pursue yellow journalism; they capture what’s happening in the world — and for good reason.
If that arrest and its ramifications make us as a people uncomfortable, then we need to address the cause in order to prevent the result. There are consequences to the culture that dominates spring weekends in Athens. That shouldn’t surprise anyone within a hundred-mile radius of Ohio University, but we still hear from students almost every time we run a picture of the festivities.
I don’t particularly want fest season to change, and I sure don’t expect it to. But at least understand what you’re signing up for when you crack open that next beer.
Cheers.
Ryan Clark is a senior studying journalism and the editor-in-chief of The Post. Tell him about your big weekend plans at rc348710@ohiou.edu.
