We work hard week after week to produce this newspaper, so when people make offhanded or unsubstantiated criticisms of the Review, we naturally take offense.
Of course we expect and welcome criticism, but we prefer our critics to be open with their remarks. When sophomore ASLC Vice President Katie Patterson criticized our editorial endorsing ASLC candidates (“Review endorses Jones, Spranger,” TLR, March 5), she did so publicly, and we engaged in a healthy back-and-forth argument. Despite disagreements, we both defended our stances in a formal, productive manner.
However, many students (although not all) seem much more content to accuse from afar.
Whether this is out of laziness, inability to defend one’s position or both, we are not certain. Whatever the cause, we are certain that it aggravates us.
It is always frustrating when someone is not willing to be forthright and open in his or her opinions, assuming he or she has one. What good is an opinion you’re not willing to defend?
To those students who think the Review is awful or has degenerated into a “gossip column,” we would love to hear why you think so. For all we know, you could have valid points, but we can’t know that until your points are asserted. We want to improve our work; if you have insights into how we could do so, please tell us. The two possible outcomes of stating your opinion are either that you are wrong and nothing happens, or that you are right, and we can work on increasing the quality of our paper.
The Review is not simply comprised of mass communication majors and upperclassmen. Our new editor-in-chief is a business management major. It is open to anyone who wants to participate. Linfield is small, so rarely do we have every staff position filled. We can’t run without the work of our diverse student body.
It is easy to contribute to the paper in a variety of ways. Submitting a letter to the editor is a simple way to participate without directly tying yourself to the paper. Or, simpler yet, post a comment on our website.
The Review does not work without student body participation.
So if you don’t like how the Review is turning out each week, try it yourself. Join the staff. Write a column. Not only do we want your contributions, we need them.
If you think our stories are poorly written, become a writer. If you hate our photos, become a photographer. If you think each issue is riddled with errors or that our headlines are terrible, apply for copy editor. If you hate the whole damn paper, go for editor-in-chief (or begin working yourself up to that position).
We need students and their input to make the Review an effective, successful publication. If you think you could do better, show us you can. We’ll even pay for your time (for most positions).
Producing a newspaper is hard work, and we do our best, but we can always do better. If you have ideas about how to improve it, we encourage you, please, to tell us how or do so yourself.
-The Review Editorial Board
