5.31.2004
Off for the summer
Campus Press Notes down for the summer.
I'm doing some freelance stuff, as well as doing some work as a student journalist at the Democratic National Convention (unrelated to the student newspaper, of which I'll be news editor next semester).
Speaking of next semester: We'll see if I've got the time to keep CPN up. If this semester is any indication, probably not.
I'm not taking as many classes (four, down from five), but most of my focus will be on revamping the news section. I got a lot of ideas from a Harvard campus journalism seminar I went to a couple of months ago. Some other ideas I've had brewing as well.
Until September.
I'm doing some freelance stuff, as well as doing some work as a student journalist at the Democratic National Convention (unrelated to the student newspaper, of which I'll be news editor next semester).
Speaking of next semester: We'll see if I've got the time to keep CPN up. If this semester is any indication, probably not.
I'm not taking as many classes (four, down from five), but most of my focus will be on revamping the news section. I got a lot of ideas from a Harvard campus journalism seminar I went to a couple of months ago. Some other ideas I've had brewing as well.
Until September.
5.07.2004
DNC 2004 Credentialing
Bloggers can get credentials for the Democratic National Convention.
As can the collegiate press (listed under "other").
Deadline for both is May 28.
Hope to be at the DNC. There is something brewing (school-related), and I'll say something when it's firmed up.
[item via hubblog]
As can the collegiate press (listed under "other").
Deadline for both is May 28.
Hope to be at the DNC. There is something brewing (school-related), and I'll say something when it's firmed up.
[item via hubblog]
5.06.2004
Tillman column controversy continues...
From a column in the Hartford Valley Advocate: "Wilson's statement might have been less dangerous if it were a private letter addressed to Gonzales alone. But instead, he used his public soapbox to echo a rhetorical position often used by anti-intellectual conservatives around the country. In doing so, he abdicated his responsibility as the spokesperson for the state's public university system to attend to his chief duty: to safeguard academic freedom and champion the pursuit of knowledge..."
Similiar to the arguments made in this week's Mass Media editorial, "Step Back, Jack."
Conservative columnist (and UCLA senior) Ben Shapiro writes up the column controversy.
A Colorado State Collegian columnist writes that newspapers have a right to be offensive and to be responsible.
He also mentions that Amherst's Daily Collegian is having funding issues with the student government there, due to the column.
Today's Collegian has this: "As noted in Tuesday's Massachusetts Daily Collegian, a motion was brought to the Senate last night by Nokes and Sen. Michael Sheridan to either reprimand the Collegian for its decision to print the editorial written by Rene Gonzalez on Pat Tillman, or to distance the SGA from the editorial decision The Collegian made by asking for money allocated back."
Previous article.
A columnist at California State University's Orion says, "In no way am I trying to belittle the selfless sacrifice Tillman made for his country. However, I just don't think it's right for the media to laud him as the symbol of patriotism and let his celebrity blot out the deaths of American soldiers who hail from the lower rungs of the social ladder..."
An Olean Times Herald columnist takes a slightly different tack: "With free speech comes responsibility, accountability."
Similiar to the arguments made in this week's Mass Media editorial, "Step Back, Jack."
Conservative columnist (and UCLA senior) Ben Shapiro writes up the column controversy.
A Colorado State Collegian columnist writes that newspapers have a right to be offensive and to be responsible.
He also mentions that Amherst's Daily Collegian is having funding issues with the student government there, due to the column.
Today's Collegian has this: "As noted in Tuesday's Massachusetts Daily Collegian, a motion was brought to the Senate last night by Nokes and Sen. Michael Sheridan to either reprimand the Collegian for its decision to print the editorial written by Rene Gonzalez on Pat Tillman, or to distance the SGA from the editorial decision The Collegian made by asking for money allocated back."
Previous article.
A columnist at California State University's Orion says, "In no way am I trying to belittle the selfless sacrifice Tillman made for his country. However, I just don't think it's right for the media to laud him as the symbol of patriotism and let his celebrity blot out the deaths of American soldiers who hail from the lower rungs of the social ladder..."
An Olean Times Herald columnist takes a slightly different tack: "With free speech comes responsibility, accountability."
NYT editor educates the next generation at Ohio State U.
"Ohio State University received a visit from a prominent staff member of The New York Times Wednesday, who gave a number of speeches and hosted discussions with students and faculty around campus.
Gregory Brock, Washington news editor for the Times, arrived in Columbus Tuesday and kicked off a two-day series of talks Wednesday..."
Gregory Brock, Washington news editor for the Times, arrived in Columbus Tuesday and kicked off a two-day series of talks Wednesday..."
5.04.2004
Globe columnist weighs in on Tillman column
Cathy Young has a column in the Globe today regarding the whole Tillman Collegian column controversy: "I’m glad the Collegian provided Gonzalez with a forum. For one, his screed is a stark reminder that a hate-America mindset on the left is not just a right-wing slander. It is also a powerful reminder that the US freedoms Pat Tillman fought and died to defend apply even to those who spout such venom."
And to those who spout venom at Gonzalez, as well. Take this one person from Brooklyn, who called our offices (people are still mistaking us for the Collegian) to register his outrage before launching into a rant, angrily calling us assholes and Gonzalez a spic.
Now, nobody would say this guy is representative of the rest of people who have called. In fact, most (70%) of the calls I've fielded, people have been polite. Outraged, but polite. Those who left contact info with their messages I've called back to point them in the direction of Amherst.
So really, this one incident of one guest columnist's poorly-written, mean-spirited write-up of Pat Tillman's death shouldn't be used as an indictment of the entire college press.
It's a lazy and an untrue argument.
[cathy young via jawsblog]
SEE ALSO: Another college column, this one from the Northern Illinois University Star: "Too many of our children are forced to view the idea of a hero as being whoever made ESPN’s Top Ten the night before. Understandably, mothers have shielded their children from television images of the real heroes in battle. Yet, the ultimate sacrifice made by Tillman should be noticed by every age group."
More college columns on Tillman here.
And to those who spout venom at Gonzalez, as well. Take this one person from Brooklyn, who called our offices (people are still mistaking us for the Collegian) to register his outrage before launching into a rant, angrily calling us assholes and Gonzalez a spic.
Now, nobody would say this guy is representative of the rest of people who have called. In fact, most (70%) of the calls I've fielded, people have been polite. Outraged, but polite. Those who left contact info with their messages I've called back to point them in the direction of Amherst.
So really, this one incident of one guest columnist's poorly-written, mean-spirited write-up of Pat Tillman's death shouldn't be used as an indictment of the entire college press.
It's a lazy and an untrue argument.
[cathy young via jawsblog]
SEE ALSO: Another college column, this one from the Northern Illinois University Star: "Too many of our children are forced to view the idea of a hero as being whoever made ESPN’s Top Ten the night before. Understandably, mothers have shielded their children from television images of the real heroes in battle. Yet, the ultimate sacrifice made by Tillman should be noticed by every age group."
More college columns on Tillman here.
5.02.2004
Tillman Collegian Column Round-Up
Daily Collegian column on Tillman stirs emotions... Pat Tillman Piece Backlash... More On Tillman Column (includes partial blogosphere/article roundup)... Other College Columns On Tillman... Tillman column and Horowitz ad... Veracity of Apology.
UMass Boston chancellor to stay put?
In this Sunday Boston Globe's Campus Insider column, an item on the UMass Boston chancellor:
Previous post.
Is the leader of the University of Massachusetts at Boston getting restless? Chancellor Jo Ann Gora, who lost a high-profile bid last year to build $200 million dorms on the commuter campus, was recently in the running for the presidency of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore. She was a finalist for the job but pulled out of the contest Monday, said a spokesman for UMass-Boston, after she talked to search leaders and decided the position "was not a good fit." On Wednesday, the Lewis & Clark search committee said it would recommend another finalist, Thomas Hochstettler, for the presidency. Gora has led UMass-Boston for 2 1/2 years, and her candidacy at Lewis & Clark coincided with her first performance review as chancellor -- a review some insiders predict will not be rosy.I received the news too late to put something into the online edition, but there'll be something relatively extensive in this week's deadwood, on support for her on campus and the review.
Previous post.
5.01.2004
MIT Tech Skewers MPAA Spokesperson
Via BoingBoing.net (which just picked up Russ Kick of The Memory Hole as a guest-blogger):
Noted at Creative Commons and Joi Ito's Web.
It's not often that a slickster as teflon coated as Jack gets made to look an utter fool (though I'd welcome a round onstage with him in front of a university audience) so bravo and bravo again to The Tech's Keith J. Winstein, who ran circles around Valenti.An excerpt:
TT: Indeed, but are you doing that when you rent a movie from Blockbuster and you watch it at home? ... I run Linux on my computer. There’s no product I can buy that’s licensed to watch [DVDs]. If I go to Blockbuster and rent a movie and watch it, am I a bad person? Is that bad?Original article here.
JV: No, you’re not a bad person. But you don’t have any right.
TT: But I rented the movie. Why should it be illegal?
JV: Well then, you have to get a machine that’s licensed to show it.
TT: Here’s one of these machines; it’s just not licensed.
[Winstein shows Valenti his six-line “qrpff” DVD descrambler.]
TT: If you type that in, it’ll let you watch movies.
JV: You designed this?
TT: Yes.
JV: Un-fucking-believable.
Noted at Creative Commons and Joi Ito's Web.
BU Provost Off To WPI
Boston Globe:
The Globe reports that the other candidates were: "Jack M. Wilson was also a finalist for the WPI job, but accepted the presidency of the University of Massachusetts last month. The other finalists were Robert Kennedy, executive vice president and provost at the University of Maine, and Allen L. Soyster, dean of Northeastern's College of Engineering, said search committee head David K. Heebner..."
MORE: BUWatch has some responses from faculty and alums.
Boston University provost Dennis Berkey, a 30-year veteran of the school who was a finalist for its presidency last year, is leaving June 30 to become president of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.It should be noted that the Daily Free Press, the student newspaper at BU, had it first, on Wednesday.
He is the second top BU administrator to announce his departure this month. Law School dean Ronald Cass, who had also been a finalist for president, recently resigned his post to return to scholarship. BU currently has an interim president...
The Globe reports that the other candidates were: "Jack M. Wilson was also a finalist for the WPI job, but accepted the presidency of the University of Massachusetts last month. The other finalists were Robert Kennedy, executive vice president and provost at the University of Maine, and Allen L. Soyster, dean of Northeastern's College of Engineering, said search committee head David K. Heebner..."
MORE: BUWatch has some responses from faculty and alums.
Veracity of Apology
Make of this what you will:
A poster at the Daily Jolt message boards, identifying himself as a "collegianworker," wrote this: "hey, I work at the collegian, he is not sorry he knew exacty what was going to happen when he wrote that editoral."
It was in response to a post highlighting the news item of the Daily Collegian guest columnist apologizing for his controversial Tillman column.
The Boston Herald reports he's been getting death threats.
MORE: The Washington Times' "Inside the Beltway" decides to paint with a broad brush when it writes: "As the school year winds down, parents of college students may wonder what they are getting in return for all that tuition money. One answer: Student newspapers that ridicule American soldiers killed in combat..."
And, of course, there's the New York Post: "COWARD FEELS HEAT FOR SLIMING HERO."
Elsewhere, Dimmy Karras' predictions are coming true. (See comments section.)
Over at Irrational Bush Hatred (title tongue-in-cheek, the author notes): "I realize that this is a very isoltaed incident and doesn't reflect on the beliefs of anyone else, but it still grates on me..."
MORE: "Freedom of speech. Freedom of the press," writes Nick Canepa of the San Diego Tribune on the column controversy. "Certainly, being a hero is open to interpretation. But in this country, with this job, I also have the right to consider Gonzalez a selfish jackass, out for the outrageous, to make a name by being the opposite of right and basically worthless, William Hung without pathetic portfolio..."
A poster at the Daily Jolt message boards, identifying himself as a "collegianworker," wrote this: "hey, I work at the collegian, he is not sorry he knew exacty what was going to happen when he wrote that editoral."
It was in response to a post highlighting the news item of the Daily Collegian guest columnist apologizing for his controversial Tillman column.
The Boston Herald reports he's been getting death threats.
MORE: The Washington Times' "Inside the Beltway" decides to paint with a broad brush when it writes: "As the school year winds down, parents of college students may wonder what they are getting in return for all that tuition money. One answer: Student newspapers that ridicule American soldiers killed in combat..."
And, of course, there's the New York Post: "COWARD FEELS HEAT FOR SLIMING HERO."
Elsewhere, Dimmy Karras' predictions are coming true. (See comments section.)
Over at Irrational Bush Hatred (title tongue-in-cheek, the author notes): "I realize that this is a very isoltaed incident and doesn't reflect on the beliefs of anyone else, but it still grates on me..."
MORE: "Freedom of speech. Freedom of the press," writes Nick Canepa of the San Diego Tribune on the column controversy. "Certainly, being a hero is open to interpretation. But in this country, with this job, I also have the right to consider Gonzalez a selfish jackass, out for the outrageous, to make a name by being the opposite of right and basically worthless, William Hung without pathetic portfolio..."
Tillman column and Horowitz ad
Before jumping all over the Daily Collegian folks as hypocrites for publishing the Tillman column and not the Horowitz ad, can someone at least check to see if it's even the same guys running the paper?
The Horowitz thing occurred in 2001, according to the article.
If there's a high turnover rate, like at some college newspapers, then it's a totally different editorial board, which probably shouldn't be held to a past editorial board's actions and inactions three years ago.
And also, another thing to wonder would be if there's a policy difference in how political ads are handled, as opposed to guest op-ed columns.
If they fall under the same umbrella, then yes, there is an argument for hypocrisy and lack of editorial judgement.
As the Brown Daily Herald put it during the Horowitz incident: ''[W]e will not censor advertisements because of their politics, which is what we believe our critics wish us to do.''
That should go for columns, too.
What comes out clearest in this, I think, is that everybody on college campuses needs to go back to school on the First Amendment: The college editors who run the papers, and the folks who take up pitchforks and decide to steal/burn/harass/threaten papers simply because they disagree with its contents or whatever insert/ad they run.
The Horowitz thing occurred in 2001, according to the article.
If there's a high turnover rate, like at some college newspapers, then it's a totally different editorial board, which probably shouldn't be held to a past editorial board's actions and inactions three years ago.
And also, another thing to wonder would be if there's a policy difference in how political ads are handled, as opposed to guest op-ed columns.
If they fall under the same umbrella, then yes, there is an argument for hypocrisy and lack of editorial judgement.
As the Brown Daily Herald put it during the Horowitz incident: ''[W]e will not censor advertisements because of their politics, which is what we believe our critics wish us to do.''
That should go for columns, too.
What comes out clearest in this, I think, is that everybody on college campuses needs to go back to school on the First Amendment: The college editors who run the papers, and the folks who take up pitchforks and decide to steal/burn/harass/threaten papers simply because they disagree with its contents or whatever insert/ad they run.
