On the necessity of citation

There has been an ongoing thread in the Medicine Hat News, both in Letters to the Editor, and Ticked Off and Tickled Pink, about the necessity of citing source material.

My sense of bemusement was quickly overtaken by bewilderment, which, in turn, gave way to rosy faced embarrassment. Although an avid reader of the News, had some unknown transition taken place? Had I missed it? The sense of dread became palpable as I realized I had never cited any sources. I could hear the voice of my Classics professor — she of fiery wit and sharp tongue — “This is a history class, it’s the Chicago way” (as opposed to any other citation method). The next statement drove terror into the heart of any would-be academic “Failure to cite is grounds for dismissal.”

What could be done? At first blush, the answer was simple, I would ask forgiveness of the News and its readership. But hard lessons of the past reared their ugly head. It’s your mistake, you fix it. Apology was not enough, I resolved to correct my failures.

I returned to my lonely writer’s garret full of determination. But my hope for a quick resolution was quickly dashed as soon as I opened the first box. The most charitable thing that one could say about my filing system is that it was casual. Notebooks, pages of drafts, indecipherable notes written on scraps of paper and backs of envelopes, newspaper and magazine articles, website references, council agendas and financial statements; a veritable jumble of unconnected material.

A new thought entered my overwrought mind. If I could find out when the transition took place, perhaps it would lessen the amount of work to be done. The easiest thing would be to go to the News and find the exact date. But not wanting to appear foolish, I reverted to going through the News’ archives, and combed the internet, but to no avail.

What now? An old friend, an ex-newspaper editor, might provide the answer. Once I explained my dilemma, his first words were “Moritz, is this one of your lame jokes?” Crestfallen, I produced the thread, there in black and white. Looking askance, as only someone who has known you for a long time could, his summation was brief and brutal. No, the News had not transitioned into a scholarly journal, and no, citation is not required, it’s an opinion page.

In that moment, the warm breath of spring blew my nightmare away.

The News remained as we had always known it, an excellent small city paper, not given to hyperbole, with honest reporting, and a relatively unbiased editorial position.

All, again, is great and good in the world.

Immanuel Moritz Medicine Hat