When university Professor Emeritus Thomas C. Schelling was recognized with the Nobel Prize in Economics two weeks ago, we needed The Diamondback to capture this historic moment in the university’s 150-year history.

Schelling and Robert J. Aumann, a mathematician from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, shared the award for their work on Game Theory, which is used to study and predict human behavior in a wide range of scenarios.

While most people probably have a sense of the Nobel’s prestige, it was the responsibility of this newspaper to explain the concept of Game Theory and how it could be applied in everyday life; how the prize might impact the reputation of the university and the average student; when and why Schelling came to the university; and any other details of his life that might be of interest.

Just one story was published in The Diamondback the day after Schelling won the award (“University professor awarded Nobel Prize,” Oct. 11) and it only scratched the surface. The two reporters assigned to the story were given an unfair and unrealistic task by Diamondback editors. If ever there was a story that called for the most experienced Diamondback reporters to take the lead, this was it.

Diamondback Editor in Chief Megan Watzin said many of the top reporters were not available to help with coverage that day. She admits editors could have done a better job explaining to the reporters how important the story was for them to cover.

As with other major university news events, we can measure The Diamondback’s coverage by comparison to The (Baltimore) Sun and The Washington Post. The Sun published three stories, including two on its front page. And The Post published two stories, with one on its front page.

Both of those newspapers explained Game Theory and how it can be applied to different aspects of everyday life. Their stories also offered insight into Schelling’s life and how and why he came to the university in 1990. And they explored what a Nobel Prize means to a university already widely regarded to be on the rise academically over the past decade or so. The Diamondback’s second story, which focused on that issue, was published two days later (“University embraces impact of Nobel Prize,” Oct. 13).

“There shouldn’t have been that one-day gap,” Watzin said. “It took far too long for us to get everybody coordinated and get what needed to be done on that second day.”

But that story also did not explain what Game Theory is other than to say it “predicts people’s reaction to threats.”

“In the grand scheme of things, I think that Game Theory, exactly what it is, is the least important part of the story,” Watzin said.

As the reason why Schelling and Aumann won the Nobel, the theory was an important element of the story and should have been explained in print sooner. Instead of printing a front-page graphic with the initial news story that listed other people with university connections who have won the Nobel, The Diamondback could have devoted that space to a description of Game Theory. Four days after the prize was announced, a Q&A with Schelling gave us a thorough sense of Game Theory (“What exactly is Game Theory?” Oct. 14).

Finally, we were never told how, if at all, this prize will impact the average student. The newspaper could have started by talking to the prospective students and their parents who were all over campus for a “Visit Maryland Day” the day the award was announced. That idea did not come up, Watzin said.

Dumping on Duncan?

When Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley declared his candidacy for governor last month, The Diamondback ran a story across the top of the front page (“O’Malley pledges higher ed support,” Sept. 29).

On Thursday, Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan officially entered the race (“Duncan says education a top priority,” Oct. 21). Because Friday’s paper included coverage from the nationally televised Thursday night football game against Virginia Tech, it was essentially impossible to give Duncan the same treatment as O’Malley. But the story should have been placed at the top of the page rather than the bottom left corner, which ultimately could create a perception – intentionally or not – that editors thought O’Malley’s announcement was more important than Duncan’s.

“I don’t know that it would have made a huge difference [if the story was played higher on the page] because the page was so overwhelmed by how we were going to cover the game,” Watzin said.

Design deserves praise

One of the most consistent strengths of this year’s Diamondback is the front-page design, which is eye-catching and bold.

At first glance, the front page of this newspaper tells us there is something interesting and important going on, whether it’s a crucial football game or growing fears over the spread of avian flu (See Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s editions).

Graphics and Design Editor Zachary Burns, who has successfully upheld the paper’s reputation for great design, deserves praise. So does Assistant Managing Editor Pouya Dianat, for his own quality photographs and for overseeing a staff of talented photographers.

Scott Goldstein is The Diamondback ombudsman. His column runs alternate Tuesdays. He can be reached at sgoldsteindbk@gmail.com.