Who is Heather Allen? At first, I really didn’t care who Allen was. I quickly found, like many of my contemporaries in the School of Journalism, that she was just another power hungry editor who ruled over the student newspaper with an iron fist and reveled in the knowledge that a quick pen-stoke or editorial decision could make or break a student’s Northeastern News experience. But recently, when she published an article criticizing Steve Burgard — the recently appointed Director of Northeastern’s School of Journalism — she went too far.
Until Wednesday I was content to keep my opinion to myself — “if you don’t have anything nice to say …” you know the proverb. I thought, so what if the paper, that is run by and created for students, isn’t accessible to students, so what if the elitist attitude at the paper dictates the talent or lack-there-of within it’s walls, and who cares if the content and character of The News has been slowly going down the tubes. I’m busy. Don’t bother me.
But in Allen’s article she steps outside the confines of her self-indulgent, narcissistic bubble at The News and attacks the director of the school that I’m attending. She doesn’t speak for all of the journalism students when she claims that Burgard has only read The News once and doesn’t recognize the students in his department. Instead of wondering how Allen could possibly know what Burgard was reading on a daily basis, or why her fragile ego was damaged when he didn’t initiate conversation with her in an elevator last week, or even why she didn’t simply talk to him and at least as an objective journalist (scoff) find out his side of the story, I’m just going to give an outsider’s perspective to her editorial attacks.
Well gee Heather, maybe nine months isn’t enough time to get to know over 400 students, and maybe you should consider that Burgard has been getting national attention for Northeastern by writing articles for scholarly journals like the Columbia Journalism Review, but then again, your bubble is so small and if the issue doesn’t revolve around The Northeastern News or The Boston Globe, I guess it doesn’t concern you.
Heather, you should take a nice long look in the mirror before you begin attacking people’s character. Congratulations on making the front page of The Globe by the way. I recently heard from a student that your journalistic integrity could be questioned on that very article. So thanks for covering the murder at Northeastern by stepping on our backs to further your career at the Globe — and just so you know there’s more to life than The Globe. Congratulations on being promoted to Editor-In-Chief at The Northeastern News, though you’re not there yet it will probably be handed to you on a silver platter. I guess Andy Cuneo’s upcoming graduation and the fact that your running uncontested really shows that all your hard work has paid off.
I boycotted The News since I transferred to Northeastern in the fall of 2002, and not because I haven’t given it a chance. In fact, one of the reasons I decided to attend Northeastern was because of the insightful and intelligent articles that were being printed by people like Cuneo and Emily Keeler, but over the course of the past year, with the dictatorial grab for power and Heather ascension to Editor-in-Chief — I fear that content and material will continue it’s downward spiral.
In Allen’s commentary, she writes to Burgard, “Thanks for nothing,” and isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black. I’ve contacted Allen at The News on more than three occasions and pitched story ideas. I’ve never, not even once, received an e-mail, call back, or “no thanks.” So Heather Allen, thanks for nothing.
– Doug Shults is a junior journalism major.
