The Missouri Miner: Editors-in-Chief: Jonathan M. Erdman

Research Project: 100 years of
The Missouri Miner 1915-2015

Est'd. 1915, Fred Grotts, Founder

Jonathan M. Erdman
EIC 1999-2000

RB: From when to when were you Editor-in-Chief of the Missouri Miner? Who proceeded you in that position? Share your memories of this individual.

JE: I was Editor-in-Chief of the Miner from 1999-2000. I was preceded by Justin Ferguson. I remember Justin became Editor-In-Chief following terms as Photo Editor and Managing Editor of the paper. From what I remember, Justin had a strong sense of commitment and dedication to the Miner, and sought to preserve the traditions of the paper as he received them.

RB: What other positions did you hold on the Missouri Miner staff. How were elections held? How did you become involved with the newspaper?

JE: I started by becoming the Assistant Sports Editor. I worked for my brother, Nathan Erdman, who was the Sports Editor at the time. Unfortunately, I ended up becoming the Sports Editor in the next year's election. I say unfortunately because I had my eyes set on the News section. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed my work as Sports Editor. The following year, I was the Managing Editor of the Miner. I was elected Editor-in-Chief by the newspaper board my Senior year.

RB: What were the biggest challenges you faced as Editor-in-Chief of the Missouri Miner?

JE: During my term as Editor, the newspaper had a six-month-long debate about advertising policy. My Managing Editor, [Randal A. Burd, Jr.], and I locked horns a bit on that one, but by the end of the discussion, the paper had a strong, specific advertising policy. We also had a few bumps in implementing the ads policy, but we worked through that as well.

RB: What "big" stories are most memorable to you and why?

JE: The most memorable story when I was editor was a story involving work-study students removing asbestos tile. The reason the story remains memorable is because of the conflicting accounts given by the students and their supervisor. Unfortunately, their supervisor's story was what was given to University Public Relations. I had a good working relationship with the PR director and hated telling him we were running a story that disputed the account he was given. A good example of the difference in the stories is that the university claimed there was no dust during the work. The students described having to leave the room several times to catch their breath, free of the dust cloud in the room.

I can also remember one evening when my roommate, [Randal A. Burd, Jr.], and I ran out of our apartment with cameras in order to cover a small explosion in the chemistry building.

RB: What effect did major national events (i.e. wars, assassinations, etc.) have on the Missouri Miner's reporting? How did you handle these events?

JE: Aside from reporting on some of the hysteria surrounding the "Y2K" bug, we did not have a great deal of national news beyond our regular weekly update section.

RB: How significant a role do you feel you and the Missouri Miner played in campus life during your tenure as Editor-in-Chief?

JE: I believe the Miner served an important role as a place where students were able to express and debate different ideas and issues. The Miner was an important instrument for campus news and events.

RB: How did your time as Editor-in-Chief of the Missouri Miner help prepare you for life after college? What lessons did you learn?

JE: I leaned a great deal about managing a staff and about leadership. The skills I developed in writing and reporting have been assets in my vocational life. Some of the greatest lessons I learned as editor were learning to resolve conflict and how to work with a wide variety of organizations with different aims.

RB: What was your staff like at the Miner?

JE: I had a great staff. They were talented and creative and did a fantastic job. Though we had a few disputes, we were very close and worked well together.

It turns out that I ended up courting and then marrying Andrea Benson, the Features Editor. I lived with my Managing Editor, [Randal A. Burd, Jr.], during my senior year. He was the best man at my wedding and I am his daughter's godfather.

RB: Who was the Missouri Miner's faculty advisor? What kind of faculty support/advice/instruction did you receive from professors at the university?

JE: Our faculty advisor was Carol Anne Smith. I always remember her giving wise counsel and sound advice. Though she had strong views on a few issues, it was always her desire that the students, not the university, run the paper. I appreciated her guidance a great deal.

RB: Where was the Missouri Miner's office? What equipment did you use to produce the newspaper every week? If you published at the Rolla Daily News (the local city paper), what was your relationship with Ed/Steve Sowers? If not, where did you publish the paper?

JE: The Miner was housed in the Student Publications Annex across from Norwood Hall on Pine Street.

As for the Rolla Daily News, they often printed the paper quite poorly. I also questioned their ethics following the publication of the asbestos story. I had given permission for them to cite the story as a source on the Tuesday prior to our publication on Wednesday. They wrote one paragraph and then proceeded to place the entire Miner story in quotes.

RB: How would you describe your management style?

JE: I learned a great deal about management at the Miner. I would say that I moved from a directive style to a collaborative style by the end of my term.

RB: Describe your relationship with the administration at MSM/UMR.

JE: Though I had a few incidents of minor conflict with the administration related to a story about waning national interest in engineering at my time as a student, my relationship with the administration was mostly positive.

RB: Describe your relationship with Student Council at MSM/UMR.

JE: The president of Student Council and I worked very well together. We were able to speak our mind plainly when necessary. The relationship between the Miner and the Student Council was cordial, yet both organizations maintained a good sense of independence.

RB: Did any group (Fraternity, Administration, Student Council, etc.) have what you felt to be undue influence over decisions affecting the newspaper? If so, which groups had this influence and what decisions did they affect?.

JE: No. We had a staff that drew from many different student groups.