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I must say, I’ve been quite flattered by the amount of attention my stories have received this week.

You know the saying, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity?” Well, after this week, I’m quite certain there’s no such thing as bad feedback. Four of my stories appeared in The Daily this week, and between two of them, readers left 35 comments on oudaily.com. The two stories I’m talking about are, of course, those covering the birth of a University freshman’s baby boy in Walker Tower Feb. 12.

The feedback mostly criticized the fact that I used two anonymous sources in my articles (though I find it ironic that most of those comments were left by, ahem, anonymous commenters) and others debated the legitimacy of this subject as “news.”

I’d like to address both of these comments. Anonymous sources are almost never used in The Daily, and in my time at the paper, this was the first instance in which anonymous sources were allowed. Why this exception? The mother and roommate were mostly concerned about the mother’s and baby’s privacy. Both wanted to be involved in the story to set the record straight. This was a very sensitive subject and after the ordeal the mother went through, it’s understandable why anyone would not want to disclose their identity to the masses of Sooners who picked up Monday’s paper.

The next question is obvious: If you only have anonymous sources, why write the story? Simple. This is news.

Though many debated this point online, I stand firm in my belief that this event indeed warranted a story. The birth happened in the dorms. Dorms on OU’s campus. As a student newspaper, The Daily has the responsibility to report on any events that are important, uncommon or of interest, that occur on campus. A freshman student giving birth to a baby in a dorm at OU warrants coverage

As a reporter, I did not go sniffing around trying to pick up the most sensational story I could find. On the contrary, the story came to me. Saturday, I received an e-mail from my editor about a story opportunity – a girl gave birth in the dorms – and I volunteered to cover it. I was supplied with phone numbers, and Sunday afternoon, I started making calls and getting interviews. The mother and roommate were more than cooperative in answering my questions, and when I submitted my story Sunday evening, I had no idea this story would be the talk of the campus.

And here is where I get around to addressing the fact that there’s no such thing as bad feedback. Monday morning, in my 8:30 a.m. class, people were already talking about the article. By the time I got out of The Daily’s news meeting at 11 p.m. later that night, there were 17 comments on my story online. I can recall about seven other comments combined on all of the articles I wrote prior to Monday’s story, and one of those seven was from my dad.

So yes, though some of those who left comments on my stories about the birth and the baby criticized the stories and my professionalism as a journalist, I appreciate all of the comments left on the stories. It’s never bad to know people are reading your work.

So readers, you’ve given yourselves away. I know all of you read the paper and you possess quite an aptitude for comment writing. Next week, I expect you to break your 35-comment quota, and aim for double that.

— Reneé Selanders, Diversity Beat Reporter

Read all of Reneé Selanders' stories here.