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A Big Commentator Congratulations to Bill Harbaugh !

UO economics professor William T. Harbaugh, the immortal being behind the beloved, anonymous, whistleblower blog UO MATTERS, was awarded the First Freedom Award  by the Society of Professional Journalists of Oregon and Southwest Washington this past Saturday.

The Ol’ Dirty covered this on Monday, but its Commentator policy to be a day late, a dollar short, okay?

The SPJ’s First Freedom award is given annually to an individual who has upheld the principles of the First Amendment. Harbaugh has long been a beacon of the First Amendment, most notably when he illegally published the Oregon Public Records Manual on his official uoregon website. The upheaval this precipitated compelled the attorney general’s office to make the manual available on the internet for the first time ever.

Harbaugh’s recognition is long overdue and largely understated. Y’all should know that the UO Matters blog is updated several times a day, and his posts are usually these quick, fuck-you-exposés about UO athletics and administration that require a kind of efficiency  and genuine concern that we will never (maybe a few years ago we came close) have. Knowing he’s out teaching economics and doing this in his spare time both worries and impresses us. UO Matters is invaluable to the entire, “engaged” university community, but is especially invaluable to drunk, disoriented student journalists like ourselves. We’re the ones constantly referring to UO Matters for direction and content, so finding the Commentator website listed under UO Matters’ “Resources” is an honor and probably some sort of mistake.

Bill, you are the resource. As renowned sultans of hate speech, there aren’t too many people we love to love. And let’s just say that you might be one of those people.

So here’s to you, Harbaugh. And for the record, UO Matters will forever be bookmarked on my Firefox browser.

 

  1. UO Matters says:

    Thanks guys, whenever I see my name in the Commentator I pull my tenure letter from the file drawer and double-check the signatures, just in case.

  2. or Rob Mullins, or Randy Geller, or George Pernsteiner, or… I could go on.

  3. CJ says:

    Indeed, just search for “Harbaugh” on the this blog, sit back and be entertained. I really wish the Ol’ Dirty reporter would have tried to get comment from the administration. Or maybe Melinda Grier.

  4. Niedermeyer says:

    Harbaugh’s been at this a while… this kind of recognition is long overdue. Congratulations prof, and don’t go resting on your laurels!

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