OPINION
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2005
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
www.kansan.com
The University Daily Kansas and Jayplay published calendars containing information that was improperly attributed. Members of the Jayplay staff gathered the majority of Jan. 20's Weekly Choice calendar from information published on Lawrence.com.
'Kansan', 'Jayplay'admit ethical lapse, plagiarism
The Kansan began an investigation once it learned of these accusations. The investigation revealed flaws in both the Kansan and Jayplay's data gathering practices in relation to calendars.
The Kansan and many other journalists believe primary sources are best and should be used whenever possible. Secondary sources are used in journalism, but not when a primary source could be reached. A primary
The Kansan depends on its reputation as a professional news source so that readers will trust what they read.
source is the people, businesses and organizations themselves. Secondary sources are people talking about primary sources. Lawrence.com and other media are secondary sources.
In all cases information from either primary or secondary sources should be attributed so that you, the reader, can evaluate the credibility of the source.
The investigation uncovered a history of the Kansan and Jayplay using other media to create calendars. Small portions of music calendars from the Spring 2004 semester used secondary sources as primary sources. The Summer 2004 Kansan also utilized other media as primary sources. The practice continued in the fall semester in Jayplay and was used on a more regular basis. By the beginning of this semester the practice became almost the sole way to research for calendar information.
These practices gradually became the norm because of incorrect instructions and unclear guidance from editors.
The Kansan is disciplining all individuals involved and each staff member will learn why this practice is unacceptable. All staff members will meet to discuss sourcing, plagiarism and other tenets of journalism. Additional policies and training will be added to
calendars and other we gather are from primary sources by doing our own research. Research is the basis of any good journalism.
Kansan staff members will ensure
inform future staff members.
In the course of the investigation the Kansan discovered that a small amount of an event description from the Jan. 20 "Weekly Choice" calendar was plagiarized. The sentence, and a
half were lifted from a Lawrence.com description.
The staff member involved in this incident is on suspension.
All Kansan staff members feel pride in the work that is published for you each day. We feel that it is necessary to keep our readers informed as to decisions that we make, mistakes that we make and the problems that occur.
The Kansan depends on its reputation as a professional news source so that readers will trust what they read. We will continue to work every day to serve as a primary, credible news source for a diverse University community. To do this we strive to practice high ethical standards, good news judgment, objectivity and creativity.
If we don't live up to our duties to you, the reader, don't hesitate to visit, call or e-mail me.
Sincerely,
Andrew Vaupel
Kansan editor
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bou, musk oxen and polar bears.
My only regret in life is that I will never be a Dancing Cobra.
Muck Fizzou sweatshirts? Okay, this thing has officially gone too far.
bou, musk oxen and polar bears.
Dear Texas players, thank you so much for coming into the Fieldhouse today and letting us practice. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
bou, musk oxen and polar bears.
Quick quiz: What is the city of Lawrence not spending any money on? I've hit 20 potholes since I left my house and I'm not even to campus yet.
For the price of a cup of coffee, John and Rvan have adopted a son in Zimbabwe.
If you're driving on K-10 and you're going 75 mph, get in the right lane, please.
Maybe this makes me a music snob, or maybe just a jerk, and I really hate it when people pose as fans of music to look cool — much like some of my good friends.
bou, musk oxen and polar bears.
bou, musk oxen and polar bears.
Hey Giddens, you're not in the NBA yet, you can take a couple of steps forward and then shoot the three.
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Alaskan wildlife needs preservation
COMMENTARY
Alaska, one of only two non-continental states, has a reputation of being a frigid place, home to the spectacular Northern Lights and wildlife that many Midwesterners have never seen. Because this part of our planet and ecosystem is not our front yard, we may think that what happens in Alaska stays there, but this is not so.
According to the February 2005 issue of Discover Magazine, a 1998 U.S. Geological Survey estimated that 1.5 million acres of land along Alaska's beautiful northeastern shore are sitting atop anywhere from 4.3 billion to 11.8 billion barrels of recoverable oil. For petroleum companies, these figures, and the fact that this much oil could supply the entire United States with enough oil to last three months, leaves Alaska looking like an attractive untapped resource. But this is a nightmare for environmentalists.
ERICA PRATHER
enrather@kansan.com
These lands may seem safe because, according to Discover Magazine, 19.6 million acres of Alaska is governmentally protected. Those who voted for George W. Bush can go sit in the corner. He proposed in 2001 to open this refuge for drilling, and while he was shut down in the Senate four years ago, he is likely to gain approval this year when the proposal is revisited because of the Republican victory in the 2004 election.
Charles Clusen of the National Resources Defense Council told Discover Magazine, "The coastal plain is the biological heart of the [Alaskan] refuge. If you destroy it, you'll harm the wildlife that inhabit the entirety of the refuge and beyond." This wildlife includes acres of trees, mountains, natural streams and animals such as caribou, musk oxen and polar bears.
So what can we as Kansans do when we are thousands of miles away? Decisions have been made, an environmentally unconscious president has been elected, and unless you want to fly yourself to Alaska to literally hug a tree, there may be nothing you can do about preserving wildlife. And why bother preserving it anyway? Alaskan wildlife doesn't directly affect our lives. But when any part of Earth's ecosystem is attacked, the rest of the planet suffers.
College students can take steps to help out in our corner of the world. Recycling is obvious, as is conserving food and other goods to avoid unnecessary waste. Carpool to those weekly trips to Target, don't litter, turn off the lights and television when you are not using them. You could even write to your local and national government. Being conscious of the earth and embracing these simple steps add up.
Reviewing the situation in Alaska provides an example of the respect we as humans have lost, and continue to lose, for the delicate balance of life, the enchanting way our ecosystem works, and the way in which we are constantly choosing mankind's well being over Earth's well being. "Savage" civilizations that preceded us knew how to use the Earth without harming it, so why can't we modern humans with all of our fancy technologies learn how to prevent these problems? Maybe because we are too selfish, or maybe because unless there are hard facts such as these placed in front of our faces, some of us are more concerned with what Paris Hilton wore yesterday than the state of our planet.
On a larger scale, what could be done about rising oil prices and the scarcity of oil? The answer is alternate energy sources. According to www.florida-gas.org, Florida ranks eighth in the nation for energy consumption. However, the use of natural gas in this state is on the rise, and the Florida Energy Office reported that, "increased use of natural gas in Florida's commercial, residential, transportation and industrial energy markets would result in net economic and environmental benefits to the state." Clearly there are alternatives that benefit the environment and the wallet simultaneously.
Clusen also told Discover Magazine, "If we required automobile owners to replace their used tires with ones as efficient as the tires that originally came on the car, we would save more oil than there is in the Arctic refuge." This is still more proof that it isn't picketing and tying yourself to a tree that will help our environment, it is ultimately thoughtful earthly minded decisions such as the aforementioned that help. You don't have to be a liberal tree-hugging hippie to show the Earth and the ecosystem respect.
Prather is a Wichita sophomore in English.
Aid can do more than heal wounds
Given the general climate of violent, or at least unfavorable sentiment, toward our country these days, it seems that such a natural disaster is but God's way of stirring up an already boiling cauldron.
As the death toll continues to mount from the tectonic havoc that ravaged South Asia and Africa in late December, we face significant questions as citizens of both the United States and the world.
We must, however, restrain ourselves from the bitter isolation reaction that might be a logical result of the duality of the world's two hands — one open and begging, the other closed and punching.
SAM HOPKINS shopkins@kansan.com
The tsunami tragedy has been compounded by the ensuing volley of blame. After the Norwegian Jan Egeland, United Nations' emergency relief coordinator, remarked that wealthy nations were being "stingy," xenophobic Yanks denounced the international apparatus for its arrogant, self-serving humanitarianism.
COMMENTARY
And, of course, the whole affair provided an opportunity to trash the French — Fox News anchors reported the earliest French offer of $160,000 with a derisive smirk, though their pledge rose to $66 million by Jan. 3. Ironically, both the U.S. and France are
among the very lowest per capita contributors, while the Egeland's own Norway tops the list by donating $40 per citizen.
So we roll along, political animals throwing our own feces at each other while orphaned children breathe the stench of rotting corpses. Our fragility as human beings has seldom been more apparent, but we beat our chests rather than place kindness over politics.
Though the U.S. government is not responsible for all of the world's misery, the panicked and grief-stricken look to us for help as the only superpower, a position we invoke with pride. It is foolish to squander any opportunity to show the developing world that America would rather build than destroy.
If we are worried about extremism and the quick root it takes in despair, let us keep in mind that Indonesia, the country at the epicenter of this disaster,
has the largest Muslim population of any nation in the world.
The affected countries should appreciate our help, but they are well aware that we spend more money in a few Iraqi days than we plan to give several nations to share over months and years. In the end, the cost-benefit analysis of American involvement boils down to one thing: We cannot afford to give any more children an excuse to grow up resenting us.
The real object of our frustration has to be our unfortunate human inclination to create heroes and villains from a situation that should never have been allowed to turn into a soap opera.
We must help others in order to help ourselves. This was proven with the Marshall Plan, and the same strategy should be avidly pursued today.
Charity is a support mechanism predicated not on political expediency but on a basic sense of right.
Our superpower status is not merely military. We must open our hearts precisely because it is difficult to do so when we feel vulnerable. It is always wise to keep a guard up, but we must not bear two clenched fists at a time when so many need a helping hand.
Hopkins is a Prairie Village senior in linguistics and international studies.
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