If the three former Iowa State Daily editors worked in a competitive media environment and did what they did, they would almost certainly have been fired. Their crime would not have been against the paper’s credibility, but against its profits.

In the strictest terms, they appeared in a commercial promotion for a competitor, and no dollars-driven publisher would stand for such a betrayal. But is the issue that these three rogues provided an advantage that allowed the competition to gain a greater share of the Ames advertising market? Of course not.

These editors were fired on the grounds that they damaged the Daily’s credibility – a notion that is pure ruse. High-profile news personalities frequently appear in comedy venues such as “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “Late Night with David Letterman.” They poke fun at themselves, their networks and even their audiences.

Yet somehow, Greta Van Susteren, Mike Wallace, Tom Brokaw and Wolf Blitzer all still have jobs. When they mock the hyped-up graphics at Fox or the elderly demographics of CBS, we laugh and we see these journalists as people more like us than not. If anything, seeing journalists with their guard down now and then builds their credibility.

So, Iowa State Daily, have you become a hard-driving publishing machine designed to maximize value to your shareholders, crush your competition, and dominate the local media market? If you answered yes, let the School of Business publish the paper.

But if you’re trying to provide an outlet in which promising young journalists can hone their skills, learn from their mistakes, and provide information and entertainment to your audience, it’s time to hire these three dedicated editors back, give them raises and above all, tell them you’re sorry.

Steve Mumford

ISU Alumnus

New York