and so it begins

[aruan]

Do you know why I'm not even a mild shade of worried about this new Student Government-backed, (and funded! Through our tuition money! Wonder if any students were consulted...) College of Journalism-equipped glorified newsletter of a newspaper insert in the Gainesville Sun that will be "debated" in Student Senate this week? Because many student newspapers with a lot more merit than the potential I see in that rag have come through this city, yet we're the only ones about to celebrate our 100th anniversary next year. Bet your sweet ass we'll cover the A&S Fee allocations, the readership numbers, the nature of the advertising that goes into it, the opinions of the journalism professors though.

Honestly, the Sun barely has staff enough for the real news and just doesn't have the editors to devote to this venture, and most of what comes out of the journalism college is little more than capable of stringing a sentence together and a damn far cry from journalists. However, that does bring up the interesting prospect that the Jschoolers will finally get up off their complacent laurels to find the kids they're putting out into the world without our help are, at best, marginally qualified.

In any event, my point is that if war is what the failed mayoral/commission candidate who feels jilted and the Student Body President who hasn't done a single honorable thing since getting into office and has gotten the corresponding press coverage in the Alligator want, then we can bring it.

Comments

Sing it, sister.

[isitwillie.livejournal.com]

The Alligator finally gets a foil. Is it bad that I want to be part of this student-funded catastrophe?

Re: Sing it, sister.

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

Yes it is, Warren. I'm officially declaring myself the founding member of the Ass-Kicking Squad for any former Alligator staffer who deigns contribute even a comma to that atrocity. Working for the Sun is one thing - working for a gradiose advertisement slipped into a paper as news is where the line is crossed.

Although I'd love to talk to you about what's been thrown around about it.

The point has been raised that they could make trouble for us with the rilly rilly cheap advertising and the backing of the New York Times, but personally, there isn't the staff on either end, I'd be willing to bet there hasn't been any consultation of students as to the need for another local news outlet, and oh, right, UF had such a partnership with the Sun before that fizzled. [shrug] We'll see.

remember that gator standard? say it with me now "flash in the pan"

[neromanic.livejournal.com]

Are they going to provide students with free copies of the sun so they might be able to see this new section? Because, as few students who actually read the alligator, I can't imagine a student section is going to really motivate many new Sun subscriptions.

Re: remember that gator standard? say it with me now "flash in the pan"

[gjstruthseeker.livejournal.com]

Yep, SG is giving them $46K as startup capital, then $.10 per newspaper for a semester of 10K each school day. And it probably won't mean more subscriptions, it'll just mean the same thing it's always meant - that we're competing for the same talented people. Not that they'll be valued there, ask any of the people who've had the pleasure, but they're a New York Times newspaper, which is a hell of a thing to be able to put on a resume.