EVERY newspaper, from the community weekly to The New York Times, covers a set of newsmakers whose names appear frequently in its pages.
These newsmakers are the government leaders, community activists and local celebrities whom everyone recognizes. They set policy, they agitate for change or they simply fascinate readers. When they're not making the news, reporters frequently will turn to these people to get their comments about news events.
Even casual readers of The Cavalier Daily likely recognize the University's major newsmakers. University President John T. Casteen III certainly qualifies as one. So does head football coach Al Groh. Student Council President-elect Jequeatta Upton hasn't become one of the paper's regular newsmakers yet, but she will in the next few months.
Readers sometimes think they can learn all about newsmakers' personalities, personal beliefs and backgrounds through the quotes they give for news articles. In reality, readers may not fully understand who these people are or what makes them act the way they do. A reporter can fill in some of those details about a newsmaker's life through a good profile story. Senior writer Chris Wilson accomplished that last week with his story on African-American Affairs Dean M. Rick Turner ("Understanding Turner," March 30).
Turner certainly meets the qualifications of a major newsmaker at the University. The Cavalier Daily often quotes him in stories about race relations, including one that appeared in Tuesday's paper ("Report on City police highlights race issues," March 29). And Wilson noted in his profile of Turner that he "undoubtedly is a controversial figure on Grounds."
News articles in The Cavalier Daily show Turner's sometimes-controversial stances on issues. The paper, for example, thoroughly documented the critical remarks Turner allegedly made to the University chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fratnernity, Inc. after the historically black fraternity decided to move from the Black Fraternal Council to the Inter-Fraternity Council. Those news articles cannot explain why Turner feels he must take positions that directly oppose his colleagues, but Wilson's profile included some great quotes that filled in that gap for readers.
Few people who haven't met Turner likely knew his mother has worked with the NAACP for 65 years. Few likely knew of his journey from Linfield College in Oregon to the University. And few likely knew of the role models who influenced him in his youth in Hartford, Conn. All of these things showed up in Wilson's story and should have given readers a more complete picture of Turner.
In their daily news articles, reporters unfortunately don't have enough space to get into these details about newsmakers' personal and professional lives. But a well-timed, well-written profile story like Wilson's can give readers the extra insight they need to better understand newsmakers like Turner.
Focus on maintenance
Some of the best story topics are the things that readers see every day but take for granted. Associate News editor Armenoush Aslanian-Persico used Wednesday's Focus section to talk about such a topic -- the maintenance work required to keep the University looking good.
Aslanian-Persico's story ("Rejuvenating U.Va.," March 30) described the wear-and-tear that University buildings and landscapes go through every year. Her sources talked about how weather conditions contribute to the deterioration of the buildings and the Lawn.
The parts of the story more relevant to students were the descriptions of how they contribute to that wear and tear. Landscape Architect Mary Hughes mentioned that paint wears thin on the colonnades because students brush up against them. Senior Historic Preservation Planner Brian Hogg described how ceremonies and normal foot traffic on the Lawn create problems for the landscaping staff to tackle. These are everyday occurrences students likely think nothing about.
The photo collage at the top of the Focus page visually demonstrated the problems Aslanian-Persico described. The story contained vivid descriptions of the damage architects and maintenance staff members have to fix, but the photos helped show the magnitude of what's happening.
Aslanian-Persico also did a good job of talking about what architectural projects are in store for the University in the future. That information gave readers some idea of what they can expect to see if they return to the University in the next few years and provided a logical conclusion for the article.
Jeremy Ashton can be reached at ombud@cavalierdaily.com.
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