What do you think of today's front page? Did you like the photos? Did they make you want to pick up the paper or did you just grab it because you wanted to do the Sudoku in your next class? Were the stories interesting? Think you have better ideas?
I get told on a pretty constant basis that the stories we write about are "dumb" or "not something students care about," and whenever someone says this to me I ask them what we should be covering -- but no one seems to have an answer.
I think it's safe to venture that I've said in almost all of my columns that I like hearing criticism from readers, I think it's healthy and productive, and I do pass it on to the staff. However, it's even better when someone says, "Hey, that story about spending the night with the cadets was cool, but there should have been a picture of the student going to classes with the cadet or something." I can't say I disagree with them; that story was good, but it would have been even better if there had been art to go with it. Especially since it was above the fold of the paper and the only other art on that day's front page was part of a feature, or stand alone, photo. Or I'm sure there was a dumpster with trash pouring out of it that could have been the subject of a photo for the Oak Lane waste story next to it.
We have been having some issues with photography this semester. It's hard to place fault there because a lot of times it's just a matter of space. However, sometimes it's a matter of editors not writing photo assignments. It's not an easy task to think of clever photo assignments for some of theses stories (like what kind of photo do you shoot for a story about phishing scams?), but art is necessary to make the paper appealing. That is one complaint I hear rather often: "The paper is too plain," or "There's too much text and not enough photos."
The Student Publication Photography Staff has some really great and capable photographers, some who carry their cameras around all day. When news of the assault in Donaldson Brown broke, the SPPS photographers were there before the newspaper staff could break free from the Squires lockdown. One of our photographers was arrested on April 16 because he was the only person running toward the building taking photos.
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Another crap article way to suck CT
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And the constructive feedback beings! haha. Anyway, what is SPPS? I don't speak newspaper lingo.
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"The Student Publication Photography Staff has some really great and capable photographers, some who carry their cameras around all day"
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Appreciate the transparency and explanations. It's true, shorter stories (most of the time, some are definitely worth every word and you know which ones they are) and much more art would be nice. Excite us. Shock us. Unstick yourselves from a sloppy version of the 1980's USA Today. Fewer press releases about dining halls (boring) and more stories on PEOPLE as well as what is really controversial on campus. The story about the girl with cancer was a good window into one of our fellow students' lives and I haven't stopped thinking about and praying for her. Releasing the April 16 docs was genius. Keep it up.
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Exactly PJ. What about an update about the girl with cancer?
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How about quitting and letting a new editor take over? The last few years the paper has been full of so much crap I would rather listen to a boring foreign TA then waste my time reading the stupid letters and boring front page articles.
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wow, PI's comments are so thoughtful though I'm not a student. May I contact you in private?
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Lots of people are critical about the paper, yet no one offers suggestions. Why bother coming on here to say that "The last few years the paper has been full of so much crap"....any propose nothing on how to improve it? Let's hear your ideas if you think the current ones are such garbage.
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Here's a suggestion: go to www.lunchpailtimes.com....much more interesting.
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you should be taking applications in squires for new staff. seriously, is the staff made up of the same people I used to see picking up cigarette butts outside of pritchard? unfortunately, I did just go to that shoddy site listed below, and found more interesting articles in 3 minutes than I have seen in the CT in the last 3 years. i almost go as far as comparing the editor of the ct to sean glennon. just as glennon let me down at every game, you sir let me down every trip to the red newspaper dispensers on campus, but at least glennon could only disappoint me once a week
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planetblacksburg.com is pretty good too eh.
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OMG! I spent the night with the Corps -- and not only did I NOT get my picture in the paper, but none of them called the next day!!!
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