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FeedThis is what we get for covering politicians.
A bit of a furor erupted on our local paper's op-ed comments board today about our July 9 issue interview Lincoln Hough, written by yours truly. The third-person introduction to the article included the statement that Lincoln is on a waiting list for the University of Colorado's law school.
First, a correction. According to Lincoln, he is not on the list and has no intention of attending the school in Boulder or any other law school. His exact statement on the subject, (which we have recorded, and fell within the context of "what have you been doing since you graduated from Missouri State University") was this: "I took the LSAT and was preparing for law school, and I don't know if you want to print this or not, didn't get into the school I wanted to. I wanted to go to Boulder. Colorado is my home away from home. Apparently a lot of other people wanted to go to Boulder too, so I was on a waiting list and all this stuff, and didn't get in so I kind of got a chip on my shoulder and said if 'I'm not going to Boulder I'm not going anywhere'..."
Second, a semi-clarification: Hough's exact statement, today, is that he's "waiting to see if he's on the list" but has no intentions of going to law school anywhere. University of Colorado law school admissions personnel said they could not release names of applicants or their status regarding waiting lists.
As with most local political discussions, the banter on the News-Leader's board was heated, and eventually turned to blaming people. One commenter had a harsh critique of GO Magazine in general. That's allowed, but the mistake was mine, not that of any of the other people who work here or write for us. The aritcle probably should never have been published at all, at least not in the run-up to an election, a mistake that was also mine. As I explained to a family member of Hough's opponent, Roseanne Bentley, we covered Hough as a GO Getter simply because he's a young, dynamic person doing something interesting (namely, taking on a Springfield political institution). Still, as a journalist of six years, I should have known better. It wasn't my intention to either endorse Hough OR to screw over his campaign.
Matt Lemmon, editor
Posted on Thursday, July 24, 2008 | Permalink
