A little pushback: The executi…

A little pushback: The executive editor for the Raleigh News & Observer took a novel approach to a White House req… http://bit.ly/c7w5G4

Hilarious exchange between a p…

Hilarious exchange between a prof and a student: There’s so much I like about this prof’s response to a student em… http://bit.ly/b04vlN

Hilarious exchange between a prof and a student

There’s so much I like about this prof’s response to a student email:

Prof. Galloway,

I would like to discuss a matter with you that bothered me. Yesterday evening I entered your 6pm Brand Strategy class approximately 1 hour late. As I entered the room, you quickly dismissed me, saying that I would need to leave and come back to the next class. After speaking with several students who are taking your class, they explained that you have a policy stating that students who arrive more than 15 minutes late will not be admitted to class.

As of yesterday evening, I was interested in three different Monday night classes that all occurred simultaneously. In order to decide which class to select, my plan for the evening was to sample all three and see which one I like most. Since I had never taken your class, I was unaware of your class policy. I was disappointed that you dismissed me from class considering (1) there is no way I could have been aware of your policy and (2) considering that it was the first day of evening classes and I arrived 1 hour late (not a few minutes), it was more probable that my tardiness was due to my desire to sample different classes rather than sheer complacency.

I have already registered for another class but I just wanted to be open and provide my opinion on the matter.

Regards,
xxxx

—
xxxx
MBA 2010 Candidate
NYU Stern School of Business
xxxx.nyu.edu
xxx-xxx-xxxx

The Reply:

—— Forwarded Message ——-
From: scott@stern.nyu.edu
To: “xxxx”
Sent: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 9:34:02 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: Re: Brand Strategy Feedback

xxxx:

Thanks for the feedback. I, too, would like to offer some feedback.

Just so I’ve got this straight…you started in one class, left 15-20 minutes into it (stood up, walked out mid-lecture), went to another class (walked in 20 minutes late), left that class (again, presumably, in the middle of the lecture), and then came to my class. At that point (walking in an hour late) I asked you to come to the next class which “bothered” you.

Correct?

You state that, having not taken my class, it would be impossible to know our policy of not allowing people to walk in an hour late. Most risk analysis offers that in the face of substantial uncertainty, you opt for the more conservative path or hedge your bet (e.g., do not show up an hour late until you know the professor has an explicit policy for tolerating disrespectful behavior, check with the TA before class, etc.). I hope the lottery winner that is your recently crowned Monday evening Professor is teaching Judgement and Decision Making or Critical Thinking.

In addition, your logic effectively means you cannot be held accountable for any code of conduct before taking a class. For the record, we also have no stated policy against bursting into show tunes in the middle of class, urinating on desks or taking that revolutionary hair removal system for a spin. However, xxxx, there is a baseline level of decorum (i.e., manners) that we expect of grown men and women who the admissions department have deemed tomorrow’s business leaders.

xxxx, let me be more serious for a moment. I do not know you, will not know you and have no real affinity or animosity for you. You are an anonymous student who is now regretting the send button on his laptop. It’s with this context I hope you register pause…REAL pause xxxx and take to heart what I am about to tell you:

xxxx, get your shit together.

Getting a good job, working long hours, keeping your skills relevant, navigating the politics of an organization, finding a live/work balance…these are all really hard, xxxx. In contrast, respecting institutions, having manners, demonstrating a level of humility…these are all (relatively) easy. Get the easy stuff right xxxx. In and of themselves they will not make you successful. However, not possessing them will hold you back and you will not achieve your potential which, by virtue of you being admitted to Stern, you must have in spades. It’s not too late xxxx…

Again, thanks for the feedback.

Professor Galloway

I’ve sent a few of those — although they’ve been less smarmy and free of vulgarity. Well done, Professor Galloway.

@ElizabethCohen NYU prof’s ema…

@ElizabethCohen NYU prof’s email was AWESOME — I’ve sent a few like, just a tad toned down.

@ElizabethCohen Re: That prof:…

@ElizabethCohen Re: That prof: What an idiot. Oh, and this quote is apt: http://is.gd/9kbvY

RT @ElizabethCohen: Cultural b…

RT @ElizabethCohen: Cultural beliefs–not knowledge–predict belief in climate change: http://tinyurl.com/ykzrcta @nprnews)

The Bloomberg Way: After buyin…

The Bloomberg Way: After buying BusinessWeek, Bloomberg’s editor took issue with the magazine’s lackadaisical atti… http://bit.ly/buJxXP

Look no further for the ‘Future of Journalism’

You can find it at ABC News:

“We anticipate that between now and the end of the year ABC News will undergo a fundamental transformation that will ultimately affect every corner of the enterprise,” Westin said.

“The time has come to re-think how we do what we are doing,” he said, adding that ABC News will “dramatically expand” its use of “digital journalists” — reporters who are capable of shooting and editing a story, for example.

Westin also said that weekday and weekend operations for the nightly news broadcast “World News” and the morning program “Good Morning America” would be combined.

“In newsmagazines and long-form programming, we will move to a more flexible blend of staff and freelancers,” he added.

“When we are finished, many job descriptions will be different, different skill sets may be required, and, yes, we will likely have substantially fewer people on staff at ABC News,” Westin said.

Sad, but true — technology is allowing journalists today to do far more with less.

Quick update

The blogging’s been a little light of late. I’m knee-deep in finishing my dissertation prospectus (i.e., half of it). The deadline is next week. I’ll defend it on March 19 followed by a full dissertation defense on April 23. I’ve done much of the work on the dissertation as part of my coursework — hence, the speedy finish.

If all that goes well, I’ll have a PhD in early May. What next? As many of you already know, I plan to be working as a journalism professor somewhere in the Middle East this fall.

Stay tuned…

Plagiarist with a MA in Journalism

Zachery Kouwe resigned from his position at the New York Times this week after being caught lifting passages from other media outlets without attribution. According to one account, he told an editor that citing the source of reporting is no longer important. That’s an incredibly ethically ambivalent statement for any journalist — much less one working at the most prestigious paper in the United States.

A check of Kouwe’s resume discovers that he received a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado – Boulder. A check of their degree requirements finds that media ethics is an optional course. The university — and all journalism programs — should make ethics training a requirement, not an option.