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EDITORIALS

The Post

Editorial: Smoking ban to benefit all of Athens

Dec. 3, 2014

We agree with the city of Athens’ smoking ban (effective Jan. 1) and Ohio University’s plan to abolish tobacco products on campus (beginning Fall Semester 2015).Athens City Council voted to charge $50 for smoking a cigarette in city parks or parking lots, and for disposing cigarette butts on sidewalks or streets.The decision is a push to keep the city clean and environmentally friendly — two things pretty much everyone can get behind.This opinion is a change of pace for us, as we generally take the stance that personal freedoms (speech, expression, assembly, etc.) should be protected.But we think the benefits of a smoke-free society outweigh the infringements on smokers’ personal freedom to light up in a public area. Few non-smokers are singing the praises of secondhand smoke.Simply put: We are sure that the campus and uptown areas will be better off because of the university and city’s decisions to diminish tobacco use.Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.

The Post

Editorial: Anonymous evidence won’t lead to investigation

Nov. 24, 2014

After accusations of members of the ACACIA fraternity drugging, sexually assaulting and beating women at a residence commonly known as the “Blue House” on Court Street, a petition surfaced on Change.org Sunday night calling for a ban of the fraternity’s chapter at Ohio University.

The Post

Editorial: ‘Cats should be in NCAA Tournament

Nov. 23, 2014

It was our pleasure to chronicle the Ohio volleyball team’s 17-game winning streak and undefeated Mid-American Conference campaign this year, and we’re sad to see that the Bobcats bowed out of the conference tournament too early.As you can read on our front page today, the Bobcats lost to Western Michigan in five sets — falling in the final three sets before a stunned Convo crowd.Historically, the MAC has been a conference that has had only one representative in the NCAA Tournament: its postseason tournament victor. Given Ohio’s pedigree, we believe that it should be considered for an NCAA at-large bid — or an NCAA Tournament invitation extended to a team that didn’t win its conference tournament.Ohio has a 23-5 record and has topped major-conference teams such as Ohio State, Virginia Tech and Syracuse this season.Thirty-one of the 64 NCAA Tournament teams receive bids for winning their respective conference tournaments, while the remainder receive at-large bids.Although Ohio’s conference schedule wasn’t as challenging as some other teams that are seeking NCAA at-large bids, we believe the Bobcats have what it takes to stand up to some of the nation’s best teams.It would be a shame to see Friday’s nonconference game against Dayton be the Bobcats’ final bout of the season. Our fingers are crossed for an at-large bid.Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.

The Post

Editorial: Bobcat Lane comes with an over-the-top price tag

Nov. 21, 2014

We wrote earlier this semester about Bobcat Lane opening for a six-month trial run in December, editorializing that we were glad the road was finally opening after years of deliberation — even though it was just on a temporary basis.We also added it was concerning that Ohio University and the city of Athens were dedicating so much time and resources to the project.As was reported in Thursday’s edition of The Post, the trial-run has been delayed an additional eight months to August 2015. The project will be combined with additional Richland Avenue changes, and the university is setting aside $355,000 for construction.That is absurd.Although the university said the project will consist of more than just pulling three stakes out of the ground and leveling off the sidewalk so that cars can drive over, $355,000 is far too much for the opening up of what is essentially a right-turn-only alleyway.We had been glad to hear that Bobcat Lane would open this year, as tentatively planned. The road, when finally opened, should ease traffic in front of Baker and on Richland Avenue and create a safer atmosphere for pedestrians crossing Richland at a crosswalk where a student was struck by a car earlier this semester.OU officials said the $355,000 will finance the widening of Bobcat Lane that will make it passable for motor coaches and safer for pedestrians, as well as improved lighting in the area.Those are good ideas, but not $355,000 good ideas. OU officials: We suggest you take action to open the road as soon as possible. See how it goes. Make improvements based on your findings.Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.

Jim Ryan

From The Editor's Desk: Breaking news coverage important to ‘Post’ readers

By JIM RYAN | Nov. 21, 2014

I often hear that a journalist’s instincts take over in the midst of a breaking news event.My first reaction when I heard of the fire in Uptown Athens on Sunday was to mistakenly run the wrong way down South Congress Street, away from the fire. I saw smoke, but it took me a trip around the block to find the fire.Luckily for me, many of The Post’s staffers had better instincts than I. After shooting a quick video of the flames and jotting down a couple notes at approximately 5:30 a.m., I spent the rest of the day holed up in our newsroom, updating our coverage as new information became available.A team of approximately 10 Post reporters and photographers stayed on the scene, feeding information back to our managing editor, Sara Jerde, and myself. Their reporting was read by thousands of readers — many of whom also shared our content on social media.It’s common for readers to turn to our website for breaking news coverage, but Sunday’s online audience was far and away the largest that The Post has ever had during a single 24-hour period.On Sunday alone, our online news stories, photos and videos were viewed more than 150,000 times. That affirms to me that The Post’s commitment to breaking news reporting is paying dividends to our readers.Please don’t get me wrong: Posties don’t revel in situations of tragedy, panic or sadness. Rather, we know that it’s our duty to provide our readers information about such events.Our efforts, it appears, have been mostly well-received. But journalists are under the microscope more than ever during times of breaking news, and I have fielded complaints from readers and sources this semester about Post photographers being too steadfast; reporters pestering authorities to get the latest updates; and editors spreading misinformation on social media.We do our best to eliminate those instances and strive to treat such situations — and those affected by them — with the professionalism and respect they deserve. I was particularly proud of how Post staffers conducted themselves while reporting on the Uptown fire.I was also deeply moved by many of the stories they have told this week. I hope many of you were too.As always, thanks for reading.Jim Ryan is a senior studying journalism and political science and editor-in-chief of The Post. Want to sound off on this issue? Contact him at jr992810@ohio.edu or on Twitter at @Jimryan015

The Post

Editorial: All should join sexual assault training

Nov. 19, 2014

It’s important that people can go out in public and do their jobs without the fear of being assaulted or harassed. Any program that aims to erase that fear should be lauded rather than ignored.

The Post

Editorial: Staff devoted to covering Union Street fire through to end

Nov. 17, 2014

Three days after the fire that devastated some businesses on West Union Street and displaced 40 Ohio University students, authorities are still picking up the pieces and planning their next moves. We are too.In the past three days, we’ve published 11 stories on our front page. Every one of them has been related to the Uptown fire.Normally, it would be ludicrous to devote that much front-page real estate to one topic, but in this instance, it’s a no-brainer.The fire is the talk of the town and has a larger residual effect on our readers than anything we have reported in recent memory.From the local businesses that were decimated and the city officials responsible for cleaning up the mess, to the students without a home and the school administrators finding housing for them, many lives have changed since Sunday morning.Just like those affected by the fire, we’re in this for the long haul. We’re committed to covering the aftermath of this tragic event until the displaced students find a new sense of normalcy and West Union Street is reconstructed.Stick with us along the way.Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.

The Post

Editorial: Congratulations to Thomas Suddes, professor and mentor

Nov. 7, 2014

Thomas Suddes, an assistant professor in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, a longtime Ohio political reporter, a dear friend and mentor to many of The Post staffers, will be inducted into The Press Club of Cleveland’s Hall of Fame on Friday.The selection could not go to a more deserving person.He’s established as arguably the most knowledgeable person on Ohio politics. He spent about 20 years covering Ohio legislation for The Plain Dealer and ran the newspaper’s Columbus bureau from 1988 to 1990.He’ll be the first to tell anyone he was nominated for The Press Club of Cleveland’s Hall of Fame because of how long he worked in the city, not because he was particularly special. But we beg to differ. He’s one of the most humble journalists we’ve encountered, and he sets an example for us that has been modeled by Posties for the past 15 years.Chances are, if you’ve worked in the Statehouse throughout the past three decades, you’ve had an interaction with Suddes. He is revered by those he writes alongside and by students he teaches here at Ohio University and is respected by those he covers.Suddes has critiqued our content since the beginning of the last decade and has been integral in helping Posties land internships and jobs throughout the country. We really can’t thank him enough for all he’s done to help us forward our publication and our careers.From all of us involved at The Post, we would like to wish Dr. Suddes a warm congratulations for a much-deserved induction and a continued thank you for everything he helps us with.Rock on, Suddes.Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.

Jim Ryan

From the Editor's Desk: Help us at 'The Post' help you

By JIM RYAN | Nov. 7, 2014

A common refrain I hear from students is that many don’t know what The Post is or where they can find one of its newspapers. That seems ludicrous to me — we drop off newspapers at 250 locations around Athens County — but it serves as a reminder that The Post staff has not done enough to promote its brand in recent years.And while we have taken steps to increase our visibility on campus this semester, we have not yet done nearly enough to show you, our readers, that we’re here every day as a resource.Our efforts begin with simple initiatives such as handing out newspapers at the top of Baker on Fridays during lunchtime. It’s a simple way for us to put newspapers in the hands of those who don’t normally pick them up themselves. They also include planning events that are helpful and fun for both our readers and staff.Earlier this year, we hosted a party at Casa Nueva to celebrate the launch of our new website. More than 100 people showed up, and we had a great time. We also hosted a reporting seminar last night for Scripps students who are interested in data reporting. More than 30 people showed up to listen to a pair of Columbus Dispatch reporters teach us some tricks of the trade. Not bad for our first try, I say. It was fun to see students get fired up about journalism, and we’re already on to planning our next event.We’re also working to outfit our newsstands with more colorful, eye-catching displays so you know where to find us on campus. Keep an eye out for those soon.Each of those separate initiatives — handing out papers, putting on events and making our newsstands more visible — serves the purpose of actively informing students of what we’re up to.What else should we be doing to spread the word about our work? I welcome your feedback, and — if you’re interested — your help. We’re always looking for students who are interested in helping our public relations and marketing operation.As always, thanks for reading.Jim Ryan is a senior studying journalism and political science and editor-in-chief of The Post. Think The Post is a relic? Having a hard time finding newspapers on campus? Contact him at jr992810@ohio.edu or on Twitter at @Jimryan015.

The Post

Editorial: #ProjectIntern applicable to all Bobcats

Nov. 2, 2014

Late Thursday night we published “#ProjectIntern,” a comprehensive look at the internship landscape for students in each of the eight colleges at Ohio University.The project was also the first time we published a project built exclusively for the website, with an interactive graphic displayed prominently on our homepage, that highlighted each college.If you haven’t checked it out yet, please take a look at some of the reporting a team of freshman journalists put into each of these stories. If you’re a student at OU, the content of at least one #ProjectIntern story applies directly to you.We’ll keep the project featured on our homepage for the foreseeable future as a result.We’re now past the halfway point of our first semester using The Post’s new website, www.thepostathens.com, and we fully plan on rolling out more web-friendly projects as the school year progresses.Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.

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