Columbia newspaper editor resigns over ethics controversy

As editor-in-chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator, Ruth Halikman was accustomed to breaking news. But the Columbia senior has been making headlines of her own after setting off a false fire alarm at the newspaper's offices so a photographer could get pictures of a nearby fire station's new truck as it responded to the call. "Someone had been sent to the firehouse, and the truck wouldn't come out," Spectator publisher Christopher Conway said, explaining that the pulled fire alarm was not the first attempt to get a photo of the truck. Spectator managing editor Mike Stanton said Halikman took matters into her own hands and pulled the alarm. And since the incident, Halikman's actions have been roundly condemned by staff members. Conway said the editor's actions were "a violation of journalistic ethics, crossing the line between observer and participant." Stanton agreed. "That kind of action hurts the paper's credibility," he said. A meeting of the newspaper's managing board was called to discuss the situation the night after the incident. And early the next morning, "[Halikman] decided that the best way to deal with it was to resign," Stanton said. The Spectator published an editorial explaining the circumstances surrounding Halikman's resignation. "Spectator remains a newspaper dedicated to presenting the daily news honestly and objectively," it read. "Each staff member is held to the strictest interpretations of ethical guidelines, and in no way will the current situation compromise the integrity of the Spectator." Shock and sadness have been the primary reactions to this incident on the Columbia campus, Conway said. "Ruth was a great editor, putting in upwards of 40 hours a week in production," Stanton said. "It's a horrible loss, but [her action is] something we took very seriously." Columbia spokesperson Judith Leynse refused to comment on the possibility that the school could bring disciplinary action against Halikman, because of the "private and individual [nature of such] affairs." But Halikman may still face a misdemeanor charge of "falsely reporting an incident." Spectator associate photo editor Rich Altman, who took the pictures of the truck, also resigned when the circumstances of the truck's arrival at the newspaper came to light. Stanton said the Spectator will not run Altman's photos. Marco Roth, associate arts and entertainment editor, also quit the paper in the wake of Halikman's resignation. "I resigned because I felt that the way the managing board treated Ruth demonstrated a lack of respect for Ruth as an editor and human being," Roth said. "I didn't feel I could work with them anymore." Roth added that Halikman was forced to resign because the managing board gave her a vote of no confidence. Stanton said he does not believe the Spectator will have an editor-in-chief for the rest of the semester. And with Halikman's resignation, Conway said, the newspaper's managing board has lost two of its original 10 members. The other member resigned for unrelated reasons. Halikman said she is unable to comment at this time because of the potential criminal consequences of pulling the fire alarm. The Associated Press contributed to this story.