Free The Daily Helmsman!: Memphis Paper Kicks Off Fundraising Campaign Amid School Cuts

The Daily Helmsman at the University of Memphis has launched a fundraising campaign, in part to fill the financial gap caused by a sudden, dramatic funding cut approved by the school.

—

As I recently posted, a Memphis student fees allocation committee overseen by a small group of administrators and undergraduate leaders slashed Helmsman funding by $25,000 for the upcoming academic year– a full third of the usual fees assistance the paper receives.  Some current and former Helmsman staffers, Memphis alums, and the local press view the cutback as possible retaliation for its no-holds-barred editorial content.  The Memphis president ordered an investigation.

—

—

The fundraising campaign, “Free The Daily Helmsman,” is hoping to raise enough money from outside donors to enable the paper “to become financially free from the university.”  As the campaign’s homepage states, “A free press is vital to the campus.  By becoming financially independent, the Helmsman can be sure that when it reports on important issues that the administration or the Student Government Association might wish to suppress, nobody in university leadership will be able to punish the newspaper by cutting funds”

—

Helmsman editor-in-chief Chelsea Boozer (the best student journalist in the U.S. at the moment, in my opinion) told The Commercial-Appeal: “I am not against the university.  I just don’t want the paper’s existence and ethics to have to rely on a committee that could become mad about our coverage.”

—

—

Read Full Post »

J-School Buzz: ‘Columbia Missourian Charges Journalism Students for Online Access to Their Own Work’

University of Missouri students who enroll in high-level journalism courses that involve reporting for the Columbia Missourian are required to pay an online subscription fee to, in effect, read their own work, according to a new J-School Buzz post.

—

The Buzz: “On top of paying tuition (and journalism course fees) and giving the Missourian free labor, these journalism students also have to pay for access to the stories that you and your peers slave over. Does anyone else feel like they are being nickel and dimed here?”

—

In a response tweet, Student Press Law Center executive director Frank LoMonte quips, “Are coin-operated toilets coming next?”

—

—

My Take: On spec, I’d rate this a Category 1 cringe-inducer.  It has a yikes-tone-deaf feel, but doesn’t reek of outright villainy.  Reserving full judgment though until J-School officials respond.

—

—

Read Full Post »

Onion Article Spoofs Student Newspaper Endorsement of Obama

In a new piece so subtle in its satire it took me a while to get the joke, The Onion mocks the practice of college newspapers endorsing presidential candidates.

—

The article slowly tears apart a student newspaper’s faux endorsement of President Obama in his reelection campaign.  From my perspective, the three-fold point seems to be: 1) Students don’t know enough about national politics or major social issues to really know who is right to lead the country.  2) These types of endorsement editorials in student newspapers tend to rely on nothing more than superficiality and cliches.  3) Considering their audience and lack of quality, student newspapers should stick to coverage of small-time campus matters like “editorials on late-night student shuttle service and expanding the use of DevilDollars meal-plan credits to off-campus eateries.”  Yikes, yeah, it’s a bit harsh.

—

—

A portion of the piece, cliches in bold: “Despite its endorsement, the editorial aimed to serve as a ‘wake-up call‘ for Obama, sternly warning the incumbent that ‘slogans won’t be enough this time around.’  The Recorder’s staff, whose members receive four English Department credits for their work on the newspaper, went on to offer the president even more pointed words, stating that it was imperative he ‘stand up for the middle class‘ if he wanted to triumph in November.  Flanked by articles on the volleyball team’s recent 3-1 victory over the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and an annual drag talent show planned for Greek Week, the editorial noted that it was providing a realistic assessment of Obama’s first term by not only focusing on his successes in office, but also candidly shedding light on his ‘share of failures.'”

—

The article– more fascinating than funny, frankly (and I’m a huge Onion fan)– reminded me of an editorial in The Villanovan at Philadelphia’s Villanova University in early 2009.  Responding to criticism over the paper’s lack of Obama inauguration coverage, top staff basically responded: There are other papers for that.  We cover Villanova news.

—

What do you think?  For the record, a bunch of student newspapers published endorsement editorials during the last presidential election– a vast majority for Obama

—

—

Related

‘College Papers Back Obama, 63 to 1′

Obama Mania in College Media: A 2008 Election Recap

Obama endorsement stirs “mini-uproar” at Abilene Christian

—

—

Read Full Post »

LSU’s Daily Reveille Providing Standout Isaac Storm Coverage

The Daily Reveille is stepping up to provide quality storm coverage.  On Monday, staffers at the LSU student newspaper promised readers one thing: “As the gusts of wind and barrages of rain from Tropical Storm Isaac come to the university over the next few days, the Daily Reveille will keep students constantly updated.”

—

The paper has kept its promise.  The Reveille team is reporting responsibly and in certain cases with real-time gusto on many facets of Isaac’s impact on LSU’s campus and in the city of Baton Rouge.  Staffers’ Category 5 journalism awesomeness extends to stories on a range of issues and need-to-knows– from updates on the weather, the school’s temporary closure, and local and state emergency prep to a campus shelter set-up and the storm’s  meddling with LSU’s athletic program plans.

—

—

A pair of pieces also focus on students who are making the most of their sudden “hurrication” (a hurricane-related vacation), including partying while riding out the storm.  The start of one brief feature: “For many people, hurricane preparation means stocking up on water, non-perishable foods and gas.  But for some students and veteran storm survivors, alcohol is just as important as any of those items.”

—

The Reveille crew is also providing Twitter updates (although not a ton) and has posted a Google Crisis Map on its homepage displaying the latest info on Isaac’s intensity in various locales.  Staff photographer Morgan Searles even climbed a tree yesterday to capture a more powerful image of Isaac’s approach.

—

—

—

Read Full Post »

Lesson From Oxford Student Newspaper Controversy: ‘Never Joke About Rich Girls’

A supposedly satirical article in an Oxford University student newspaper recently caused a mini-ruckus in Britain amid perceptions it was “misogynistic, and in a frighteningly casual way.”

—

The piece, a six-point guide to dating “posh girls,” has been removed from the website of The Cherwell, replaced with an editor’s note.  I do find it slightly amusing that its competitor, The Oxford Student, grabbed the article prior to its deletion and is running it in full on its own site.

—

The column includes advice for male students “on meeting a woman’s wealthy parents, how to discuss politics, and how to handle foreign travel and ‘getting dumped.’”  I’ll be honest: Parts of it are so British I don’t entirely understand it on spec.  But it’s clear the most controversial segment is a brief mention of the sex histories and habits of so-called posh girls.

—

—

A snippet: “Sex.  She’ll have had a lot of it, way more than you.  Do not believe any assertions to the contrary, she is massaging your fragile ego.  Posh Girls lose their virginity at 15, often to the same floppy-haired bloke. . . . She duly worked her way through the Eton rugby team before re-eloping with the same floppy-haired wanker on her gap year in Phuket.”

—

—

The guide’s writer, also a section editor at the paper: “The piece was written to be phenomenally, obviously, and rigorously ridiculous– not genuine advice.”

—

An Oxford University women’s campaign officer: “Treating women like objects that lack any autonomy in who they date or sleep with is outdated and boring.  If this article is trying to be funny, the author needs to realize his audience won’t be impressed with such irrelevant stereotypes.”

—

A portion of the editor’s letter now running in place of the piece, British spelling left unchanged: “We have decided to remove the article that previously occupied this page. However, this is not a response to the accusations of plagiarism [alluding to a separate charge circulating online that the piece ripped off a professional magazine feature] or misogyny. In our view this piece was attempting to satirise the misogynistic (and, indeed, misandrist) ‘how to…’ dating guides that pervade the mainstream media. However, this tone was perhaps not conveyed as well as it should have been, and if it caused any offence then we are very sorry. As a student newspaper, the views of our readers matter to us enormously and this is a contributing factor in the removal of this article.”

—

—

The bottom line lesson from the scandal, according to The National Post: “Never joke about rich girls.“

—

—

Read Full Post »

College Media Podcast #2: RNC, Princeton Review Rankings, Oklahoma Daily Autopsy Report

Welcome to the second episode of the College Media Podcast.  The CMP is a new collaborative venture between me and Bryan Murley from the Center for Innovation in College Media.

–

The podcast’s aim: spotlighting big college media news, standout student press work, and array of helpful and innovative sites, programs, and tech tools.

–

In our most recent episode, recorded Friday afternoon, we discussed the many reasons the Princeton Review “Best College Newspapers” ranking is beyond bogus, the controversy involving The Oklahoma Daily’s posting of a deceased student’s autopsy report, and, in Murley’s words, “some cool government transparency tools.”

—

 

 

 

 

 

—

—

Related

College Media Podcast #1: A Red & Black Breakdown

Oklahoma Daily Faces Backlash After Posting Deceased Student’s Autopsy Report

—

—

Read Full Post »

Live from Tampa, RNC 2012: Bad Weather & Wolf Blitzer

The Tampa Bay Times massive front-page headline: ISAAC INTRUDES.  The tropical storm has caused the cancellation of the Republican National Convention’s first day and the closure of many area schools.  The University of Tampa, my academic HQ, remains open.  The latest weather accounts confirm it is most likely the right call.  Apparently, Isaac is bypassing all (or most?) of Fla., leaving lots of clouds, rain, and a bit of wind in its wake.

—

The crack student staff at The Minaret, the student newspaper I advise at UT, has been working hard to provide preview and now real-time coverage of the convention festivities.  Included in the mix so far: a full-color magazine telling various RNC-specific stories and a separate first-person recap by our EIC about his meet-up with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

—

—

—

—

—

Read Full Post »

Meet The Rich Kids of Instagram: ‘They Have More Money Than You’

In one photo, a young man stands in the living room of his Hamptons home– next to his Ferrari.

—

In another photo set mashed together, a young man leaps into a large pool from the back of his huge house– describing it as a “mansion high dive.”  A separate photo displays young people drinking while seated around a set of classic red Solo Cups– playing not beer pong but “champagne pong.”

—

—

And in perhaps the most grandiose image of all, a young woman is pictured rising what appears to be 20 feet in the air, attached to a jet pack she calls a yacht toy.  As she writes in a caption underneath the photo, “Get on my level.”

—

The photos, and a growing number like them, are featured on a blog focused on teens and twentysomethings who are on a level all their own.  Rich Kids of Instagram, on Tumblr, has a simple premise: showing off the extravagant perks, carefree lifestyle, and unapologetic arrogance of wealthy– in some cases, very wealthy– young people.

—

—

The UK’s Daily Mail explains, “No matter how busy they are enjoying the moment– be it sliding off Daddy’s yacht, tucking into a feast of food or riding an elephant on safari, the number one rule for the rich kids of Instagram is to take a photo.”

—

The blog’s tagline: “They have more money than you and this is what they do.”

—

Over the past month, Rich Kids has earned increasing amounts of attention and criticism.  It sports more than 10,000 followers on Twitter (@richkidsofinsta)– garnering tweets calling it “ridiculously entertaining”; “strangely fascinating,” and “Superb! Highly amusing insight into life in the big league!!!”

—

It has also spawned a new mini-phenomenon known as “receipt porn.”  It involves racking up and then showing off a ridiculously high bill for food and leisure activities.  As CNBC’s Robert Frank reports, “Some posts consist of a photograph of a 100,000-euro meal receipt from St. Tropez or a $42,000 bar bill.”  One tweeter responded to those excess charges, “Interesting that for me, $50,000 is a windfall.  For them, it’s a receipt.”

—

To read the rest of the post, click here or on the screenshot below.

—

—

—

Read Full Post »

Oklahoma Daily Faces Backlash After Posting Deceased Student’s Autopsy Report

The Oklahoma Daily has upset and enraged some readers this week at the University of Oklahoma for its temporary posting of a deceased student’s autopsy report.  The report was linked in a Daily tweet and later a story that revealed new details about the student’s death.  The paper has since apologized and pulled it from its website.

—

The trouble began Tuesday evening, when Daily staff learned student Casey Cooke had been legally drunk in June when she fell to her death from an OU administrative building.  That potentially significant detail was included in an autopsy report prepared by a state medical examiner.

—

—

According to Daily editor-in-chief Laney Ellisor, “we sent a tweet from the OUDaily account linking to the report.  That never should have happened.  In our haste to cover the breaking news, and because I was busy with my normal production duties and failed to review the tweet, we sent out information without carefully thinking through our actions or their repercussions.”

—

While outlining the specifics of Cooke’s blood alcohol level on the night of her death, the report also includes intimate details about her underwear, genitalia, and menstrual cycle and a very graphic accounting of her injuries.  A large block of readers is criticizing the paper’s decision to share the full report as distasteful and unethical– airing private information without enough accompanying news value and causing additional hurt to those who knew and loved Cooke.

—

A portion of one letter to the editor, from an OU alumnus: “Take a moment to consider the Cooke family who is still grieving after the loss of their daughter and the friends who have to read that trash you call journalism.  That information does not benefit the public in any way, shape or form.  The only thing that information does is expose one of OU’s beloved and missed students and reopen wounds from which the family is trying to heal. . . . I will be contacting businesses who place advertisements in your publication, inform them of this disgrace and bad practice and let them decide if they want to keep business with this kind of publication.  Please refer to the ‘minimize harm’ section of the Society of Professional Journalists guidelines.  Maybe that will serve as a reminder of what journalism should really be like.”

—

—

To be clear, the paper is legally within its rights to post the document.  The professional newspaper The Oklahoman also temporarily posted it in full, similarly choosing to then take it down.  According to faculty adviser Judy Robinson, the Daily staff met yesterday and discussed the situation at length.  Subsequently, along with removing the report, Ellisor issued an apology on behalf of the editorial board.  And the paper is running a spate of angry letters to the editor online and in today’s print edition, including one from the university president, enabling critics to have their say.

—

—

—

Read Full Post »

Georgia Red & Black Publisher Made Enough Last Year to Buy a Hovercraft

—

Update: To his credit, Montevideo did recently request a drop in base salary to $90,000.  “In light of declining revenues over the past five years, I felt this was prudent and fair to both parties,” Montevideo said. “It is aligned with what others in similar college media operations, with similar length of service are being paid.”  The SPLC concurs with the latter statement.  He also says the $190,000 salary last year was higher than normal, in part based on what he says were “delays in receiving bonuses.”

—

—

The Red & Black at the University of Georgia is one of this country’s best and most innovative college media outlets.  As this blog’s archives and my freelance writing reveals, I am a sincerely huge fan of its investigative prowess, general editorial quality, and digital forward-thinking.  I’ve slightly gotten to know and greatly respect its recent and current student editors and editorial adviser Ed Morales.

—

All that written, I do think R&B publisher Harry Montevideo makes way too much money.  Among the many facts recently revealed during what will forever be known within college media circles as Red & Black & Blue week, one especially startling detail has many student press advisers and advocates abuzz: In his top dog role at the UGA paper, Montevideo pulled in almost $190,000 last year.

—

That is roughly a full fifth of the paper’s annual expenses.  It is also simply one heck of a sum for a person running a student paper.  I don’t know Montevideo at all.  I had no reason to think anything but great things about him prior to last week.  At the moment– post-staff-walkout and after the Grady Tackle-Gate incident— I’m honestly unsure what to think of his professional work.

—

—

But I do think he makes too much money.  Regardless of the amount of hours worked, skill-sets he possesses or accomplishments he can boast about, the $190,000 sum (even with $16,000 deferred compensation) strikes me as irresponsibly, almost corruptly, high.  I am willing to be swayed on this.  So please, email or comment away, politely.

—

From my perspective though, the number speaks for itself.  We live in a media world in which we rightfully criticize the professional elites who rake in crazy-high salaries, bonuses, and exit packages, while the masses in their newsrooms barely hang onto low-middle class.  I don’t believe a $190,000 student press position should be immune from similar dismay.

—

With that sum– of course not accounting for taxes– Montevideo can afford a new “130-hp, twin-cylinder liquid-cooled engine” hovercraft.

—

—

A strong leader for a news entity is fantastic.  Fair and even generous compensation for someone holding a position of great responsibility is a must.  But a single individual’s salary should not hover over a newspaper’s budget as prominently as this one– especially a student newspaper’s budget and especially during such a financially precarious time within journalism.

—

—

Related

Former Red & Black Staff ‘Excited for the Progress’ Made at Today’s Meeting with Board

Red & Black Publisher Tackles Reporter Attempting to Cover Meeting Between Board, Former Staff

—

—

Read Full Post »

Princeton Review Best College Newspapers: 2012 List

The latest rankings report listing the country’s “Best College Newspapers” has been released by Princeton Review.  The papers are listed below, in order of their selection.

—

Penn State’s Daily Collegian vaulted to the top, following in the footsteps of its CMM “College Newspaper of the Year” honors earlier this summer.

—

The Daily Kansan moved up dramatically as well.  The Red & Black, The Michigan Daily, The Daily Nexus at UC Santa Barbara, The Rocky Mountain Collegian at Colorado State University, and The Technician at North Carolina State University all jumped onto the list after not appearing on the 2011 version.  Meanwhile, The Daily Northwestern and The Daily Texan suffered big drops.  The Battalion at Texas A&M had the biggest spiral– dropping from the list after appearing at #5 last year.  The Minnesota Daily, The Daily Mississippian, The Daily Campus at UCONN, and The Hilltop at Howard University also disappeared from the current version.

—   

The Princeton Review rankings are not without controversy.  As Bryan Murley from the Center for Innovation in College Media confirmed two summers ago, the process by which these papers achieve the “Best” distinction is, well, fairly ridiculous.

—

Yet, the rankings receive more attention from the public and mainstream media than every other student journalism contest and competition, including the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker awards (the closest the student press has to the Pulitzer Prizes).  Why?  My guess, without sarcasm or cynicism: It’s an offshoot of the attention given to the sexier rankings such as “Best Party Schools.”

—

—

1. The Daily Collegian, Penn State University

—

—

2. The Daily Tar Heel, University of North Carolina

–

—

3. Yale Daily News, Yale University

–

—

4. The Brown Daily Herald, Brown University

—

—

(Tie) 5. The Badger Herald, University of Wisconsin-Madison

–

—

(Tie) 5. The Daily Cardinal, University of Wisconsin-Madison

—

—

6. The University Daily Kansan, Kansas University

—

—

7. The Diamondback, University of Maryland

—

—

8. The Independent Florida Alligator, University of Florida

—

—

9. The Daily Nexus, UC Santa Barbara

—

—

10. The Red & Black, University of Georgia

—

—

11. The Cornell Daily Sun, Cornell University

—

—

12. The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Colorado State University

—

—

13. The Daily Orange, Syracuse University

—

—

14. The Daily Gamecock, University of South Carolina

—

—

15. The Tufts Daily, Tufts University

—

—

16. The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan

—

—

17. The Post, Ohio University

—

—

18. Technician, North Carolina State University

—

—

19. The Daily Texan, University of Texas at Austin

—

—

20. The Daily Northwestern, Northwestern University

—

—

Related

College Newspaper of the Year, 2011-2012: The Daily Collegian, Penn State University

—

—

Read Full Post »

Red & Black is Back, in Full Force: Student Staff, Board of Directors Reach Agreement

Breaking news from Red & Black country:  The student staff and the board of directors at the University of Georgia student newspaper released a joint statement roughly an hour ago confirming the former top editors have been renamed to their positions and production is set to resume as normal for the new school year.

—

As the statement– signed by the editor-in-chief, managing editor, publisher, and board vice chair– concludes: “All of us– student, staff and board– plan to move forward in a new era of open communication.”

—

—

—

Related

College Media Podcast – Episode 1

Red & Black Becomes Red & Dead: Student Staff Quits, Protesting Loss of Editorial Control

Open Letter to Red & Black Board of Directors: What the Heck Are You Thinking?!

—

—

Read Full Post »

College Media Podcast #1: A Red & Black Breakdown

Welcome to the first edition of the College Media Podcast.  The CMP is a new collaborative venture between me and the Center for Innovation in College Media‘s Bryan Murley.

—

In upcoming episodes, we plan to spotlight big college media news, standout student press work, and array of helpful and innovative sites, programs, and tech tools.

—

In our premiere podcast, recorded Friday afternoon, we discussed the Red & Black drama at the University of Georgia.  (Click the gray play button at the very bottom next to the volume icon to listen right here on CMM or click on the screenshot to check it out on SoundCloud.)

—

—

—

—

—

Related

College Media Podcast – Episode 1

Red & Black Becomes Red & Dead: Student Staff Quits, Protesting Loss of Editorial Control

Open Letter to Red & Black Board of Directors: What the Heck Are You Thinking?!

—

—

Read Full Post »

Daily Kansan Online Redesign: ‘This Isn’t Your Momma’s Website’

The newly redesigned University Daily Kansan website is a lively, innovative, interactive beast of an online presence.  Unveiled this past week, the updated digital home of the University of Kansas student newspaper sports a much more professional design scheme than its predecessor– one that is both less cluttered and more colorful.

—

It also boasts a crazy-cool scroll-over section preview option, uber-integrated commenting, and a digital Time Machine that enables a quick, easy journey back to UDK coverage of iconic moments in Jayhawk history.

—

Bottom line, as web editor Tim Shedor puts it on a page laying out the new UDK bells and whistles: “This isn’t your momma’s website.”

—

—

—

—

—

A screenshot of the UDK site last year, via archive.org.

—

—

Read Full Post »

Former Red & Black Staff ‘Excited for the Progress’ Made at Today’s Meeting with Board

Although marred by an odd altercation prior to its start, the meeting between former Red & Black staffers and the paper’s board of directors appears to be a success.

—

According to a statement released by the once-and-seemingly-future staff on the website for The Red & Dead, all of their demands were met, a call for greater dialogue and trust has been sounded, and the recently-departed top two eds. will reapply for their old positions.

—

A portion of the statement: “We, the former staff of The Red & Black, are thankful and excited for the progress that has been made today, following the afternoon meeting with representatives from the Board of Directors.  Prior review is off the table; student editors retain final content approval.  Ed Morales, who was promoted earlier this month to the role of editorial director, made it clear that he has returned to his role as editorial adviser.  And Ed Stamper, a board member who authored an internal draft of a memo that called for new content guidelines, tendered his resignation.  These actions are signs of forward momentum, resolving many of our concerns regarding the editorial direction of the organization.”

—

—

—

There has also been an increased outpouring of support for Morales.  He confirmed hours ago on a popular college media advisers’ list-serv that while the past few days have been difficult for him and his family, he maintains his commitment to “helping college journalists become the best they can be.”

—

—

Related

Red & Black Publisher Tackles Reporter Attempting to Cover Meeting Between Board, Former Staff

—

—

Read Full Post »