Dear Editor:

Since Glenn Poshard and his plagiarism in his 1984 doctoral dissertation have littered the pages of the Daily Egyptian, I have been following it – both articles written about the subject and the editorials and letters written in response. I seriously can’t take it anymore.

As a journalism major myself, I am upset by everyone saying that “the DE didn’t do its job” and “the DE has lost all credibility.” Oh, and not to mention the rehashing of the Kodee Kenning’s dilemma back in 2003. There’s an old saying that goes something like, “When I’m right, no one remembers. When I’m wrong, no one forgets.” This saying applies directly to the situation at hand. Yes, the DE screwed up four years ago. Yes, President Poshard screwed up 24 years ago. What do both of these things have in common? They are both in the past.

But my question is what does any of the above have to do with the DE not doing its job or the DE having lost all credibility?

We learn in our major that our job and our duty as journalists is to report the facts and be truthful. Unless I’ve completely missed something, I believe the DE has done just that. The reporters have done an excellent job of reporting the truth, reporting the facts and reporting it in full. What more do you want? The DE is doing an excellent job in reporting. And so what if the DE’s opinion on the subject doesn’t parallel with yours. The newspaper would be pretty boring if there was never conflict.

And as for the whole President Poshard situation? Give it up. It’s not going to make SIUC’s reputation any worse than any other university in the state of Illinois or in the United States. Everyone has a reputation for one reason or another. The only thing that keeps it going are people who are too stubborn to just drop it, let it go and move on.

So, great job, DE. Keep up the good work and keep doing your job. You’re doing just fine.

Amber Pond

senior studying journalism

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