Student journalism at its worst in Eau Claire

Kevin Reilly, the University of Wisconsin System President, handed down a landmark recommendation yesterday, adjusting policy for resident assistants in the dorms looking to engage in religious behavior. Specifically, the recommendation – which is likely to be rubber stamped by the Board of Regents at its next meeting – comes in wake of a UW-Eau Claire RA facing administrative heat for conducting a Bible study in his room.

The whole situation has proved quite an ordeal, with national interest groups weighing on over the past several months, and is likely the biggest story to hit UW-Eau Claire in a number of years.

And so it comes as surprising to learn that The Spectator, the school's student newspaper, which has followed developments of the story closely, completely dropped the ball in its coverage of Mr. Reilly's landmark recommendation toward allowing more open and honest free speech in the dorms.

The paper's headline, atop a brief five paragraph story, reads “Bible study passes State Legislature,” a title that is problematic in and of itself considering that the State Legislature had absolutely nothing to do with yesterday's breaking news. And the headline alone was not the sole typo, as the story's lede proclaims “The ruling on the Resident Assistant Bible study controversy was passed yesterday by the Wisconsin State Legislature, Representative Rob Kreibich, R-Eau Claire, said.”

The Badger Herald has followed this story closely since it first broke last fall, and included a lengthy article in today's newspaper. Fortunately, the Herald – like seemingly every other newspaper in the state – got the facts right, citing the plan to Mr. Reilly and making no false allusions to legislative passage.

When Herald Deputy News Editor Mike Gendall sent me a copy of the Spectator story today, my jaw dropped. And, frankly, I am still looking for cause to pick it up.