Generation and The Spectrum Correct Visions

Generation, UBOs student-run magazine and a service partially funded by Sub-Board I, collaborated with The Spectrum on todayOs editorials. The views expressed below represent those of the editorial boards of both publications.

The April 8 - or, we assume, the April 28 - issue of Visions contained an "editorial" detailing The Spectrum's financial plight. The substance of the article contained a disturbing number of factual inaccuracies, considering the edit note's focus of the dying art of journalism at UB.

The Spectrum would like to note that while the disclaimer says the views in the article are not shared by the entire SA staff or Visions editorial board, an editorial is, by definition, the viewpoint of the publication's staff. Additionally, editorials do not carry bylines.

Because the edit note in the newsletter almost guaranteed that corrections on factual errors would not be welcome, The Spectrum and Generation will instead publish the corrections here on The Spectrum's editorial page. Readers are welcome to contact members of either staff for more information.

The Spectrum corrections of "Let's Be Real," the Visions editorial:

Error: "Generation also does not have the benefit of paying $1,800 a year to Reuters news service ..."

Fact: The Spectrum does not subscribe to the Reuters news service, but to the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post news service. The total cost of the service is $900 for 12 months.

Error: "The Spectrum's professional layout designer makes $17,000 a year alone."

Fact: The Spectrum's creative designer actually makes $10 an hour, which totals approximately $11,000 per year, and the position is filled by a student, not a professional designer.

Error: "The Spectrum's Editor-in-Chief makes about $600 per month."

Fact: The Spectrum's editor in chief actually makes $1,500 per semester.

Error: " ... and receiving a slight reduction in printing costs from their printer, Buffalo Newspress."

Fact: The Spectrum saved $10,000 in our agreement with Buffalo Newspress. While SA - which spent $1,100 on Halloween decorations alone - may consider that amount "slight," $10,000 seems rather significant to us.

Error: "While SA contributes about $30,000 a year ..."

Fact: SA does not contribute money to The Spectrum. The undergraduate student population contributes a subscription fee of $2 per year to The Spectrum; SA acts only as a collection agency for that money.

Generation corrections of "Let's Be Real," the Visions editorial:

Error: "Generation puts out one issue per week totaling 24-25 issues per year."

Fact: The Generation puts out 22 issues per year.

Error: "... with yearly operating costs of about $60,000."

Fact: Generation's costs are closer to $80,000 a year, including a $5,000-a-year publisher's insurance.

Error: "...the student Supervising Editor at Generation ... makes about $190 per month."

Fact: The supervising editor of Generation makes $200 a month.

Error: "...the highest paid staff member at Generation makes less than $200 per month."

Fact: The editor in chief of Generation makes $250 a month.

Error: "Both press runs are equal at 10,000 copies per issue ..."

Fact: Generation prints 8,000 copies each week.

On issues The Spectrum has 'ignored': Despite the opinions expressed by SA and the Visions staff, as journalists, we have a responsibility not to print unnecessarily inflammatory "investigative journalism" merely for the sake of generating buzz. Printing an investigative piece does nothing to solve a genuine problem if the article is not based on facts and actual data, rather than opinion and supposition. Consider "Let's Be Real."