Second Reaction: Fire Your Editors!
Kellie Foreman’s response to my article on April 5 about the LGBT advertisements directly results from poor editing. When I sent in the article to the Chronicle, it conveyed a lighthearted jest of advertising that provides too little information, regardless of the organization distributing the message. Like Foreman, I say bravo to volunteers who spend a great deal of their time working for a cause. However, my first reaction upon reading the signs was that whoever was in charge of advertising, be they hired or volunteers, fell short of effective communication. When Foreman quoted the title given to my article saying, “Rachel Miller suggests that ‘the LGBT Center should fire its advertising manager’,” feelings of frustration returned as I recalled the editor’s decision to change my own title and add an incendiary one. My original title, meant to be whimsical and innocuous was “First Reactions: Fire Your Advertising Manager.” I never suggested the LGBT Center should indeed fire their advertising manager (or volunteer) but merely mentioned my first reaction. As a result of poor editing, Kellie Foreman felt compelled to respond to a title that did not convey the message of my article, nor my personal feelings regarding the subject. In view of the publishing experience I underwent, I would not be surprised if the Chronicle’s editing staff also mutilated Ms. Foreman’s letter. I suppose that in the interest of consistency, the editor will change my title to “The Chronicle Should Fire its Editing Staff” rather than preserving the flavor of my commentary.
-Rachel Miller, Freshman, History