Last week The Mirror received several letters from upset alumni lamenting the cancellation of 200 Nights.
Regrettably, one lengthy letter run in the Oct. 27 Commentary section (“Alumni mourn loss of 200 Nights: ‘It’s up to you to bring the fun’ from Bobby Sacramento, Class of 2001) was not a legitimate letter from a saddened alumnus, but a hoax.
Several days after the issue hit newsstands, Mirror staffers verified that there was, in fact, no student named Bobby Sacramento in the Class of 2001. The Mirror has since issued a retraction of the letter.
As Editor in Chief of The Mirror, I formally apologize to our readers for printing a letter from an unverified source. The Mirror is committed to being a trusted news source on campus. I assure our readers that my staff and I are committed to practicing responsible journalism, and that in the future we will expand our fact-checking efforts.
Currently, The Mirror is required to have at least two staff members read every story in the paper, although each story is usually read by four or more people for copy and fact-checking.
After speaking with my staff, we have decided to expand commentary fact-checking efforts by requiring a daytime phone number for letters submitted through our website.
However, even when these precautions are taken, college newspapers cannot completely immunize themselves from hoaxes.
In May 2003 the Daily Egyptian, Southern Illinois University’s student newspaper, published a story about 8-year-old Kodee Kennings, a girl whose mother had died and whose father, Dan Kennings, was serving in the 101st Airborne in Iraq.
However, there was no Dan Kennings enlisted in the 101st Airborne. In fact, the paper had been the victim of an elaborate hoax.
According to the Associated Press, the hoax was the work of Jaimie Reynolds, a 2004 SIU graduate. Reynolds reportedly told 10-year-old Caitlin Hadley that she was acting in a movie and that she was to pretend to be 8-year-old Kodee Kennings.
Reynolds told Patrick Trovillion, the man who was “playing” Dan Kennings, that they were shooting a documentary about a father torn away from his daughter after going to Iraq.
Since discovering their mistake, the Daily Egyptian has retracted all articles and commentary relating to the hoax.
This unfortunate event at SIU, and to a lesser extent, the recent hoax letter in The Mirror, should serve as valuable lessons to all student journalists: when it comes to reporting, nothing but 100 percent truth will suffice.
I assure our readers that this is something all of us at The Mirror have been reminded of and that in the future we will redouble our efforts to remain the same reliable on-campus news source that we have been.
To submit a Letter to the Editor please visit The Mirror online at www.fairfieldmirror.com. All letter submissions must include your name and daytime phone number.
The Mirror strives to report accurately in its stories. However, if you are aware of any errors, please call Editor in Chief Tara E. Lynch at 256-6529 or email themirror@stagweb.fairfield.edu.
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