Keep bias out of sportswriting
By Kalie Jackson
Published on Thursday, April 5, 2007
To the Editor:
Over the past three years I have noticed a trend of The Dartmouth putting negative spin on many of the College's athletic teams. Two years ago it was so bad the softball team made a request for a new writer after "Dartmouth softball drops a deuce to the Great Danes of Albany" (April 8, 2005) was published as a headline.
I just cannot believe that at an Ivy League school we cannot find a decent sports editor -- someone who knows the terms, maybe even some of the rules, and can be factual or even supportive instead of sliding in unnecessary nasty comments about losing streaks and low batting averages. Is The Dartmouth not supposed to be encouraging school spirit and trying to get students to attend games? Then why are negative headlines such as "loses by mercy rule" allowed to be printed?
The Dartmouth sports writers should chose their words more carefully. I thought sports were the one area of the news The Dartmouth could actually keep its opinions and biases out of.