SMU Students Need to Pony Up From D.C.

I would not recommend reading SMU's Daily Mustang for your inauguration coverage. The university sent "a group of SMU communications and journalism students" to D.C. to cover the inauguration. Said last week's media release, "They will have an up-close view of the Presidential Inauguration." Um. Um. This is the most...

By Robert Wilonsky

January 20, 2009

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I would not recommend reading SMU's Daily Mustang for your inauguration coverage. The university sent "a group of SMU communications and journalism students" to D.C. to cover the inauguration. Said last week's media release, "They will have an up-close view of the Presidential Inauguration." Um. Um. This is the most recent posting from Caitlin Myers:

I am now back in my hotel room, watching the Inauguration on MSNBC.

I walked with three other students around the city for three hours this morning trying to get to the check-in point for our tickets. The shutdown streets were literally packed body to body as people waded their way toward the Capitol. We finally made the executive decision to just turn back and watch the ceremony from the hotel.

Update: SMU journalism professor Jake Batsell isn't amused by this post, as evidenced by his comments in the, well, comments: "It's unfair to denigrate their hard work by focusing on one snapshot in time for a handful of students." Point taken. Still, WWHD? OK, point taken.

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