Maneater Editorial Board:

Anyone who’s written an opinion column for a newspaper or magazine can attest to a simple fact: It’s not as easy as it seems.

As someone who wrote opinion articles for my high school’s magazine for two years, I fully understand the difficulties that come along with creating an effective opinion article. You’ve got to be able to write in a very clear and concise manner, get to the point quickly and most importantly, develop a voice that your readers can identify across multiple articles.

Paul Krugman, George Will, Bill Simmons, Dave Barry and Nicholas Kristof are some of the best columnists in the country because they’ve mastered the art of column writing — they’ve got that unique, distinct voice in their writing that draws readers in.

Maneater columnist Sean Nahlik has a voice in his writing readers can identify.

However it is not that kind of voice that produces a good opinion column. It is a voice some readers, including myself, find appalling and vulgar beyond what is proper for a news publication.

It is the kind of voice that, in my opinion, not only turns readers off but a voice that I find offensive, profane and not fit for the pages of a major collegiate newspaper.

Mr. Nahlik does have substantive writing ability; I think that has been evident in his columns. That being said, his frequent use of the “f-bomb” has also been evident.

I’ve written a good amount of opinion articles over the last few years and there were many times when I was writing I really really really wanted just to drop an f-bomb and cuss out my reader because, well, it was what I thinking.

But I didn’t.

Sometimes, you can’t just write what you’re thinking, Mr. Nahlik. You’ve got to recognize who you’re writing to, who your audience is and change your tone to suit your readership. I think it’s fair to say that’s a universal rule in journalism.

Mr.Nahlik, I think you’ve yet to realize you’re not writing on your friend’s Facebook wall.

This isn’t your Tumblr or your WordPress.

This is The Maneater, a newspaper that’s seen by thousands of your fellow students, professors and members of the community.

You can’t just go off on a curse filled rant in the op-ed section of a major college newspaper. It’s unprofessional as a journalist and makes The Maneater and our university look bad.

There’s a way to get your point across without using words that will alienate your readers. I don’t think Pulitzer Prize-winning columnists George Will, Dave Barry or Nick Kristof have dropped a single f-bomb in their years writing for The Washington Post, Miami Herald and The New York Times, respectively.

Mr. Nahlik, you’ve dropped six f-bombs in five articles over the span of a little more than a month.

There was an old proverb I once read somewhere, “Your right to swing your fist ends at my face.”

Well, Mr. Nahlik, with the language you’ve been using lately in your columns, you’re getting very close to my proverbial face and to the face of numerous other students.

I strongly urge The Maneater editorial board to admonish Mr. Nahlik for his highly offensive language that has no place in the professional, very public forum The Maneater is and strives to be.



— Matt Kalish
Vice Chairman, MSA Senate Academic Affairs Committee
RHA Representative, College Avenue Hall
Safety and Security Coordinator, NACURH 2013 Bid
matthewkalish@mail.missouri.edu