We here at The Poly are always looking for constructive criticism and ways to improve ourselves. We have always striven to better ourselves as a legitimate media source on campus. We all know that is impossible to please all of our readers, but we try to do as best we can. But it is hard to better ourselves when we do not get much feedback from our readers. We publish contact e-mail addresses in the box you see to the left of this column so that you can send e-mails telling us how much you hate or love the paper. If you are a frequent reader of this section, you know that we print almost all “Letters to the Editor” that we receive. But it seems lately that more and more people are criticizing us without taking the time to let us know personally.
We’ve heard of a psychology professor who reportedly spends 25 percent of every Friday lecture complaining about The Poly at length, but who has not made any effort to voice his concerns to us directly. Our new advertising coordinator has had to defend the newspaper to her professor as well, and had to rebuke a fellow student who claimed to have proof that we receive money from the Union/Institute (which we do not). When I was on the scene at the Ricketts explosion last Wednesday, I listened, as a student who merely asked a public safety officer what had happened, and was given an answer that for some reason included an insult to the newspaper. Every week I seem to hear more stories, but I only hear about them second- or third-hand, or possibly more times removed.
I will, however, use some of this space to address some of the concerns that have made it back to me. It seems that some people feel like we’ve become a tool of the administration, simply distributing their propaganda when ordered. Members of the administration have, in fact, voiced their displeasure on articles that we have published, and others have complimented us for exposing things that should not have been covered up. Some also complain about the topics of our stories; I will use EMPAC as an example here. Many students feel, as I do, that EMPAC is a waste of money and will not contribute all that much to the campus. But should my opinion preclude my coverage of it? As news editor, it is my responsibility to ensure that the reader is given the facts of campus events in a fair and balanced way. In other words, my opinion should never touch the news section. Some people seem to think that we need to “take on the administration.” In my opinion, and in the opinion of many professional journalists, it is not the purpose of my section to do that. Indeed, if it can be said this has happened, I have failed in my duty as editor. That kind of writing should, and is, reserved for the editorial section.
But please take some time to give us some constructive feedback when you feel strongly enough to complain about it to others. It’s the only way things will change.
