The Domain: Apology demanded

I spent Wednesday morning at Jefferson Elementary School with two classes of fifth graders who had a bone to pick.

It all began after the classes made a trip to Springfield to visit State Rep. Keith Sommer (R-Morton), as well as tour the capitol building.

I just happened to be down there that day, spending time with Sommer in Springfield to get a glimpse of the legislative process. I was thrilled when Sommer told me a Jefferson Elementary School class was visiting for the day. It made for a great photo opportunity.

These students were polite and well-behaved during a hectic time at the capitol where thousands of college students showed up to voice their support of MAP grants.

These kids seemed enthralled by all the activity going on in Springfield. They were genuinely interested in the inner workings of state government.

I saw it as an opportunity to tie their visit in with the article I did regarding that day in Springfield. There was one problem, however, I did not clarify — what grade the students were in.

The next Wednesday, the article was published with a colorful 4-column photo of the students sitting in the committee meeting room while Sommer talked to them. I indicated in the front-page photo that the students were fourth-graders from Jefferson.

It was a mistake that had such a negative impact on the disappointed students that they decided to voice their opinion to the Morton Times-News.

I answered a phone call the next day. On the other end was fifth-grade teacher Mary Blaudow.

“I was curious as to where you got that misinformation,” Blaudow said.

Of course, I was embarrassed, my face was beet red. There was no doubt in my mind that not only was Blaudow disappointed, but, more importantly, numerous young, impressionable fifth graders were embarrassed as well — how dare I refer to them as fourth graders?

Blaudow, being very understanding over the phone, explained that the students began asking questions, such as: “How do we know we can trust the newspaper?”

It was a mistake I knew I had to address in a more personal manner, not just a correction.

So, I requested Blaudow, as well as fifth-grade teacher Shay Nelson, allow me to visit their classes one morning. Blaudow agreed, withholding the plans from her students.

I showed up the morning of Oct. 28, surprising the students. The moment I entered the classroom, I immediately felt intimidated — what was I going to say that would change these kids’ perspective on newspapers?

Blaudow asked the class, “Do you all know who this is?”

In unison, several students answered, “the photo guy.”

Blaudow then asked, “Do you know why he is here?”

One student, standing and looking directly at me, blurted out, “to apologize.”

I then knew, anything short of an apology would have been inadequate. Again, my face turned red. But, I could not help but laugh at the sheer honesty these students expressed.

This was, by far, one of the more important visits to a classroom I had made in my time with the Morton Times-News. During such a crucial period for newspapers, the last thing the industry can afford to lose is the respect and trust of young students.

They were curious about my job, asking questions that I had never been asked before. More importantly, they were interested. It showed a lot of promise for newspapers. I felt like I connected with them enough for them to accept my apology as well as continue reading the newspaper.

I am not sure if they will, but I figured if I grabbed their picture one more time and placed it in the paper with the correct grade, they may consider accepting my apology.