THE COMICS page, maybe the most controversial section of The Cavalier Daily last year, has caused another flare-up, giving me plenty to write about as I start my second year as the paper's ombudsman.
DESPITE the staff's efforts, many members of minority communities on Grounds still say the paper has problems, stemming largely from what they view as racist or inconsiderate opinion pieces and comics.
The Cavalier Daily's Managing Board -- comprising the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Editor, Managing Editor, Operations Manager and Chief Financial Officer -- gathers daily to debate, decide and shape the opinion they will put forth as the lead editorial.
SEVERAL readers were upset with the Comics page last Thursday. That day, each comic included a tribute to Mitch Hedberg, a stand-up comic who died March 30, 2005.
THE WORDS "Raise awareness" are two of my least favorite words in a newspaper. Why? Besides the fact that the phrase is jargon, the words are usually used in an article about an event, protest or movement too short to do anything toward raising awareness, too short to educate. Sarah Hasan, publicity chair of the Muslim Student Association, told The Cavalier Daily that by bringing a prominent imam to campus, her group wanted to raise awareness about Muslim issues ("Imam addresses Islam and the media," March 21). While the people who attended the event likely learned something, I'm sure Hasan would have wished the enlightenment continued onto the pages of the newspaper, available to those who did not come. Unfortunately, that article and another about Islam that appeared Tuesday missed a chance to educate readers, if only ever so slightly more. Newspapers can be a great educational tool, and that service is one of the reasons I want to be a part of this profession.
IT"S NOT alwayss possible to get all the answers. Often-times conflicts comedsown to he said, she said,arguments.
For the second time this school year, The Cavalier Daily has run into trouble by printing a cartoon lambasted as racially or religiously offensive.
THERE has been a lot of very complicated stuff going on at the University these past few weeks. The Opinion pages, for one, have been on fire with people sounding off about the consensus clause up for consideration in this week's election.
BLOGS AND the Internet, they say, are going to kill newspapers.Newspaper editors tend to think otherwise.
NOT EVERYTHING works out as planned. I planned to write last week's column on Friday and send it to the editors for Monday's paper.
