Archive for July, 2011

Dan’s Journey to Iraq: A Student Press Adventure, Part 7, “Kurdistan’s Story” (Conclusion)

Posted in College Media, International Student Media, Journalism, Student Newspaper, tagged , , , , , , , on July 31, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Early last year, I began writing about The AUIS Voice, the first independent student newspaper in post-Saddam Iraq.  Started by a scrappy band of Iraqi students and an impassioned ex-Washington Post reporter, the Voice’s spirit of innovation is ironically its adherence to the oldest principles of the craft: objectivity, editorial freedom, and the search for truth (rarities among Iraqi media).  In mid-May, via a university grant, I traveled to the northern Kurdish region of Iraq to interview and observe the student staffers in action– along with gaining a glimpse of the university and region where their unfolding story is set. This series is centered on my trip.

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Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five || Part Six

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Dan’s Journey to Iraq: A Student Press Adventure

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Part 7: “Kurdistan’s Story”

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Kurdistan Fatih was not born in Kurdistan or as Kurdistan.  Prior to her birth, her father fought for the freedom of Kurdistan as a Peshmerga, spending most of his time in the mountains near the Iranian border.  In 1988, fearing increased violence from Saddam Hussein’s forces, he took his wife and other family to Iran.

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According to Fatih, her parents frequently describe the long, secret journey across the border, on foot, as unforgettable.  She said her mother repeatedly tells her about seeing a family forced to leave one of their children along a roadside because they simply could no longer carry him through the mountainous snow-covered border region.

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Her mother gave birth to Fatih in Iran.  She was named Lina.  Initially, her parents thought they would never again see their beloved homeland.  And so, in Fatih’s words, “One of my father’s friends said to him, ‘Why don’t you change her name to Kurdistan?  Because whenever you call her it will remind you of your country and you will feel like you haven’t lost everything and you will still have your home.’ . . . After three months, I was renamed Kurdistan.  This is something that they tell me over and over again.”

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Kurdistan Fatih, AUIS senior and Voice reporter

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Eventually, the family did return home.  They now live in Dukan, her father retired, her mother a homemaker.  Fatih is the oldest of six siblings, an even gender split.

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Nearing the end of high school, Fatih’s only option initially was studying law at the local University of Sulaimani– government orders.  “The government, the ministry of higher education, decides which colleges students should go,” she said with a sigh emitted by many students who shared similar stories with me.  “Because I was studying literature in high school, I could not go to engineering or medical school.  My choices were very limited.  That is what happens here.”

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Then her cousins spotted an item in a newspaper about a new university being founded with U.S. ties, the American University of Iraq, Sulaimaini (AUIS).  She was curious about potential enrollment.  By comparison, her father was insistent.  “My father wanted me to study here,” she said.  “He was one of the motivations.  When I realized that the education was in English and based on American style– everything was not Iraqi, you know?– that was one of the most important things I liked about AUIS.”

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In 2012, Fatih will be part of the first undergraduate class to graduate from the university, a cohort famously known as “the 10.”  “After three months, my father asked me if I liked it here and I told him it would be impossible for me to go somewhere else,” she told me in May.  “I really love the subjects and the environment here.  I don’t know how to say it.”  She sported an impish smile, speaking with a breathlessness that made me giggle.  “I am so confident when I say that without AUIS I would not be the student that I am right now.  I have learned so much.  It is impossible to get this knowledge from other places in Iraq.  I am so happy about this.”

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She happily selected her own academic program– majoring in business administration and minoring in economics.  In her spare time, she enjoys volleyball and basketball.  She dances with her roommates in the dorm to Kurdish, hip hop, and pop music.  Shakira is among her favorites.  She enjoys her current dorm– the previous one lacked water, stable electricity, and Internet.  “So dancing, studying, and sleeping, these are the things that I do,” she said.  “And of course, Facebook.”  She points out she is not addicted to the social networking site like many other AUIS students.

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Fatih confessed that “journalism, being a reporter, I had no idea about this before coming to AUIS.”  She joined the campus newspaper on a whim, quickly growing to love the power the publication exerted in its role as the student voice.

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During our chats, she twice mentioned a past Voice report about the lack of Internet connection in campus dorms.  Soon after the story was published, the administration started offering online access.  She said she understood the article might not have been the main reason school officials stepped up, but it was an important part of the process– and prior to the Voice’s launch students had no way to address similar issues and concerns other than in-person meetings.  “It’s just something I like,” she said about journalism.  “I never get bored.  I never have a bad time writing a report for the Voice.”

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Whenever she visits home, she brings hard copies of the Voice with her, showing her parents the pieces she has written.  She said her father does not know English so has a hard time understanding the reports themselves, but his eyes beam when she shows him her name in a front page byline.

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During my visit in mid-May, I shadowed her while she reported upon her next front-page story.  It was destined to be drowned out by the sudden protest madness, but it was an important piece nonetheless.  School officials had been promising students that a relocation to a bigger, better, permanent campus was inevitable, but delays continued to push back the move-in date.  Voice editor-in-chief Arez Hussen Ahmed charged Fatih with finding out why.

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Fatih interviews senior structure engineer Salahaddin Sharif in mid-May for a story on the progress of construction on the new AUIS campus.

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And so it was that in mid-May, on my first day in Iraq, hours after the impromptu campus protest, Kurdistan Fatih sat in a chair across from a construction engineer’s desk in a building on the soon-to-be-new AUIS campus– roughly 15 minutes from the current one.  Upon sitting down, she leaned slightly forward, crossed her legs, opened her large spiral notebook, uncapped her pen, brushed back a wisp of hair flitting from her headdress, and got right to the point: “Can you tell me why the process is so slow?”

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Throughout the interview, she swiftly moved from English to Kurdish and back, depending on the language given by the man in answering.  She took notes while keeping eye contact.  She smiled while maintaining her professionalism.  She let him fill the silences, and when he gave a few somewhat surprising answers she did not let eyes or emotions give her excitement away.  She continually sought to keep him on message and to get the real answers she was seeking.  The engineer was a tough interviewee, saying respectfully again and again that delays are simply inevitable in construction.

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An editorial cartoon in a recent Voice issue hints at student perceptions that promises of a move to the permanent campus have been frequent and thus far unfulfilled. (I visited the campus. While still under construction, it does seem to be nearing completion.)

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At one point, the following exchange occurred:

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Fatih: “There will be delays in the process, but what are the reasons?”

Engineer: “There are lots of things.”

Faith: [Almost immediately] “Like what?”

Engineer: [Roundabout answer]

Fatih, more gently: “I’m just wondering why construction’s slowed.”

Engineer: “It has not slowed down.”

Fatih: “It has.  We were supposed to move here last semester.  Now again, talk to me about why it has slowed.”

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Fatih and Voice photographer Noor Aljanabi tour the new campus construction site with Sharif.

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In the end, she managed some solid info and a few choice quotes– from a man who admitted upfront “It is better with these things to say as little as possible.”  It was a master-class in reporting 101, journalism at its finest, a standing-ovation-worthy moment that solidified all the work Jackie Spinner, Arez Hussen Ahmed, and a number of other student staffers and school officials put into the Voice‘s founding and continued existence.  I had to remind myself that 18 months ago, Fatih had no idea what journalism was.

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After it was done, the two of us stood together with Voice photographer Noor Aljanabi in the hallway near the engineer’s office.  We were silent, smiling, feeding off the spark of a quality interview.  Fatih had closed the notebook she had been scribbling in furiously during the chat.  Its outside was covered repeatedly with the same word in all caps: LOVE.

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I suddenly wanted to tell her how awed I was by the performance and how I wanted to learn Kurdish so I could tell her father to be immensely proud. But she spoke first.  She turned to me and asked simply, “So what did you think?  How was that?”

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Her father’s eyes beam.  Mine teared up.

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The End

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Read about the Voice’s founding in my exclusive six-part CMM series, originally posted in April-May 2010.

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Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five || Part Six

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Next Student Web Trend: Anonymous Online Flirting?

Posted in New Media, tagged , , on July 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Students like LikeALittle a lot.  An increasing number of campus newspapers have turned to that tongue-twister to describe the rising popularity of a unique web service.

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Simply put, LikeALittle lets students flirt with each other… anonymously.  The site offers campus-specific platforms for students to reveal their feelings for someone they know or strangers who just walked by or sit near them in class.  In respect to the latter, the whole shebang sports a Craigslist Missed Connections-feel, with a campus twist.  Begun last October at Stanford University, LikeALittle is now available at hundreds of schools worldwide.

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As its co-founder Evan Reas tells The Daily Northwestern, “We really see it as a location-based communication platform.  We wanted to bridge that divide to make it easy to communicate with people in the same location, and change the psychological dynamic of the way we interact with other people.  There is this huge fear of rejection.  There is that barrier when it’s a person-to-person interaction, and it’s much lower when it’s anonymous or online.”

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The quick four-step flirtation process involves choosing your flirtee’s gender, hair color, the spot he or she crossed your path, and a brief message you want them and web browsers to read.  No names are submitted.  A review of the messages posted by students at schools across the U.S. reveals four running themes: When crushing anonymously, students are idealistically romantic.  Their pick-up lines are cheesy.  The first things they notice are eyes and clothes.  And they fall hard, fast.

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Among the many messages students have sent: “You held the door open for me today.  I was shocked that guys still did that.  Chivalry isn’t dead!”; “Girl in a large purple hoodie.  I think you’re cute.  I hope you’re not wearing your boyfriends hoodie.  Come talk to me sometime?”; “I think you’re too cute.  Your eyes are absolutely gorgeous.  I wish I wasn’t so shy and awkward with guys…no worries though, you’ll be my summer goal…baby steps.”; “You are most likely on the basketball team since you were on the floor for 90% of tonight’s game.  You were bleeding at one point and seemed tired and frustrated by the end of the game, I would love to nurse you back to health.”; and “At Chem 101: Male, Brunette.  I wish I was an ion so I could form an exothermic bond with you.”

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To read the rest of the piece, click here or on the image below.

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USA Today Collegiate Correspondent Program: New Student Publishing Opportunity

Posted in College Media, Journalism, New Media, tagged , , on July 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

USA Today College recently put out a nationwide call for its new Collegiate Correspondent Program.  The semester-long virtual internship-freelancing gig provides participants with an opportunity to publish their work on the fast-growing student arm of the famed newspaper’s online operation.

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The program also promises mentorship from USA Today editors and a small stipend, not to mention the obvious résumé boost of being affiliated with a national news leader.  As the related FAQ page explains, “The Collegiate Correspondent Program will achieve two objectives: 1. It will provide USA TODAY College readers with hard news content, written by their peers.  2. It will give a select group of students a chance to improve as writers. Correspondents will be writing articles weekly, on developing topics and on a deadline.”

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The deadline to apply is looming.  Full applications are due by July 30th.

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Florida Atlantic Student Journalists Create Newspaper Without Computers: ‘OMG WTF?’

Posted in College Media, Journalism, Journalism Education, tagged , , , , , on July 26, 2011 | 5 Comments »

Student journalists at Florida Atlantic University are in the midst of a grand experiment in good ol’-fashioned journalism.  Through some funding from The Society of Professional Journalists and under the direction of beloved-former-adviser-forever-guru Michael Koretzky, staffers at The University Press are putting out an issue sans Internet, computers or high-tech tools of any kind.

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As one of their potential front-page headlines screams in bold, all caps, atop a photo of confused staffers staring at a typewriter: “OMG WTF?”

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“The student reporters, editors, photographers, and designers have turned off the newsroom iMacs and stowed the digital cameras– and they’re publishing their final issue of the summer on machinery that’s older than they are,” Koretzky explains on his blog, journoterrorist.  ”A few of them have even dressed the part.  Well, in their warped interpretation of ’70s and ’80s fashion.”

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Why oh why are the students engaged in such a tech-deficient (and fashionably-questionable) journalistic pursuit?  Koretzky says it’s about letting students live a slice of the j-history that profs are always rattling on about; enabling them to get back to the basics without the distractions of gadgetry; and, simply, enjoy a good time.  In my opinion, the whole shebang is a wonderful idea.

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Apparently, the students are still up in the air about the front page.  It’s down to two finalists.  See below.  My take: The OMG is LOL funny but vague– “Old News” is stronger.  Yet, the staff-gathered-around-the-typewriter shot is iconic.  Mix and match.  Pair that photo with the “Old News” headline.  What do others think??

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Student Press Differs from Professional Press: Reason #1,333,668

Posted in College Media, Journalism, Student Newspaper, Teachable Moment, tagged , , , on July 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Our chief copy editor quit yesterday.  It was a decision that had nothing to do with the campus newspaper.  As a student burdened recently with financial strains, she simply cannot afford to return to the university in the fall.

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She had been one of our most passionate staffers– staying late, engaging with the words set before her and the staffers sitting around her.  She had recently undertaken the larger project of overhauling our badly-in-need-of-repair house stylebook.  Awhile back, she had discussed the upcoming year with genuine excitement.  All past tense now.  Instead, in the present, she is moving on.

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She let us know about her situation in an email.  It is a letter of resignation in every sense of the word.

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The whole thing strikes me as sadly ironic.  In an economic climate in which evermore news outlets cannot afford as many workers, a willing, eager student simply cannot afford to work for us.  Just one more reason the student press differs from the professional press.

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She is the second higher-level staffer to resign.  Our incoming director of advertising abruptly walked away about a month back.  He told us he had realized that his fall class slate and extracurricular commitments would hinder him from giving the position the necessary 110 percent.  I admit, my first reaction was muted anger. We had been grooming him for awhile and paid for him to accompany other staff on our annual sojourn to the spring CMA West Coast convention.  All of this was built on the premise/promise that he would be taking the ad reins in August.  Then, it suddenly wasn’t in the cards for him anymore.

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My initial grrrring aside, his decision ultimately of course wasn’t even remotely traitorous– and he even had the courtesy of informing us of it with some time to spare re: finding a replacement.  Students have a boatload of competing priorities– courses, clubs, internships, side jobs, a social life, a smartphone, naps, a workout routine, study abroad.  It’s always been like this of course (save for the smartphones), but it’s doubly ironic nowadays.  In an era in which tons of journalists whose number-one priority is news are being kicked out and left out, some students just don’t have the time to fit journalism in.

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 Just one more reason the student press differs from the professional press.

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Harry Potter and the Special Issue: Tips for Launching a Themed Edition of Any Sort

Posted in College Media, Free Press Fights, Journalism, Student Newspaper, Teachable Moment, tagged , , , , , on July 23, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

In the most recent issue of College Media Review, I profile last year’s transformation of The Ball State Daily News at Ball State University into The Daily Prophet– in honor of all-things-Potter.

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Pages 16-18

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I also provide a few tips for editors and advisers looking into launching a special issue of their own on areas far beyond the HP craze:

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1) Make the special, well, special. It’s time to start fresh, and think beyond an annual holiday or traditional campus event. Special issues generally have grown stale, delivering satire on April Fools’ Day, guides to college life during freshmen orientation, and glimpses into a school’s past on homecoming weekend.  Piggyback instead atop a cultural trend, an in-the-moment school scandal– or even a mega-movie premiere.

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2) Timing is everything, in planning and execution.  The Daily Prophet issue worked because it fed off the excitement of the latest “Potter” movie premiere.  It also worked because Daily News staff gave itself enough time to conceptualize and carry out the vision– even without a grand plan behind it all.  The lesson: Brainstorm early– even a semester in advance– about events, calendar dates or passion projects that you want to turn into full-blown issues. Put a team in place to make it happen, and establish deadlines for the development of the section.

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Page 19

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3) Content is just the start.  Along with running related stories, you must ensure a special issue’s overall aura embodies the topic or event serving as its inspiration.  The issue’s layout, fonts, photos, masthead, and more must pitch in.  Utilize multimedia extras and your website as additional core parts of the issue.

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4) Go all in.  Not everyone is a “Harry Potter” fan or will understand all the Quidditch references, but the Daily News staff rightfully decided that if it was going to commit to the concept, it would commit fully.  Don’t worry about a special issue being too niche or geeky.  Readers in the know will appreciate the 100-percent effort.  The clueless readers will ask their friends what it all means.

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5) Just do it.  Even with the most talented, impassioned staff, a special issue will never be perfect.  There will never be enough time to flesh out all ideas.  And breaking news inevitably will interfere at the wrong moment.  Embrace the flaws and chaos and simply soldier on.  As former Daily News chief designer Jen Minutillo said, “Go big or go home.”

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Separately, check out my cover story on college media censorship.

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Pages 4-8

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You Know You Stink at Digital Journalism When…: Part 2!

Posted in Future of Journalism, Journalism, New Media, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Late last month, I premiered “You know you stink at digital journalism when…”  It’s a fun feature that is nothing more than a list of completions to the sentence in the headline of this post.  Idealistically, I saw it as a possible starting point for a future class session.  But mostly, I just wanted to see what I could conjure up.  Back by popular demand, here is part two.

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YOU KNOW YOU STINK AT DIGITAL JOURNALISM WHEN…

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You send your bank account information to the stranger from Barbados who emailed to say you may be in danger.

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Your comment on a popular blog’s latest post begins, “Oh man, I agree completely.  One time, I was at a drug-addled party with strippers…”  You then sign the post with your full name, the name of your news outlet, and your email.

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You think Microsoft Bing is the name of Chandler’s dad on “Friends.”

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You create a Facebook fan page for every one of your stories.

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Your résumé lists “Writing for the Internet” under special skills and qualifications.

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Someone else owns the domain for your name.

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You think Storify is the shriveling, yellowing process that happens to old newsprint.

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You respond to your friend’s quip, “There’s an app for that” with a blank stare, an awkward pause, and a gruff “Whatever, I don’t get it.”

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When told at a cocktail party that print journalism is dying, you respond in a mock-French accent, “Tsk, no, print is not dying, dear.  It’s evolvingggg.”

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You remember people’s phone numbers.

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You cite the first web source you find, leading to sentences in your stories such as, “So, when Paul Revere warned the British…”

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You shower, shave, slip on a three-piece suit, and walk 10 feet to your home computer to begin your workday as a blogger.

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You report and write a news story, post it online, and think “Now that’s what I call a story package motherf*cker.”

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You think texting on the toilet is gross.

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You think Eduardo Saverin is a Republican presidential candidate.

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A majority of the blogs you start feature only a single post, headlined, “Hello World.”

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You try to spell Schwarzenegger without Googling it.

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Your latest hyperlocal report looks at “sweeping changes across the entire Midwest.”

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You call it new media.

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Check out Part 1

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Young Journalist: ‘Reporters Are a Sketchy Breed’ :p

Posted in Journalism, Journalism Education, Journalist Spotlight, Teachable Moment, tagged , , on July 19, 2011 | 3 Comments »

Angel McCurdy is a young journalist.  Yet, she jokes on Twitter that her love of “dresses, floral patterns, DIY projects, and newspapers” means she might actually be 80 years old.

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As a staff writer at a kick-a** Florida daily, McCurdy has been fully ensconced in all-things journalism for awhile.  In her words, “I’ve been at it for a few years now and have started to realize that this profession is unlike any other.  The trials and tribulations are different from all other jobs.  Somehow, I have chosen to be in the profession where everyone hates you, everyone expects you to know everything, and everyone is watching your every move.”

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I recently stumbled across her blog, and fell in love.  The writing is frank, funny, snarky without the cynicism.  It delivers a true glimpse of a twentysomething journalist’s travails circa NOW.  Students, take note.

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With McCurdy’s permission, here is a recent post from her blog, titled, “Reporters: A Sketchy Breed”:

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In the few years I’ve been working as a journalist I’ve learned things they never could have taught me in school. One of those things is that journalists aren’t quite right.  We tell morbid jokes, we rejoice when we’re asked to leave property, and we never falter when it comes to the question of whether to cross the police tape or not.  Always cross, never look back.

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I’m fairly absorbed in the culture of reporters and journalism so it always surprises me when I tell an outsider a story and the reaction is the complete opposite of my cohorts.

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Example 1:

I like telling jokes. It’s how I was raised, never taking myself too seriously and laughing my way through life.  The problem with journalists’ jokes is that we are engulfed in sad news, terrible circumstances, and situations that in most circles wouldn’t be joking matters.

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Joking, though, takes us out of the seriousness of it, the sadness of the reality of what we deal with and helps us in our day to day.  I wouldn’t have lasted a week in this field if I would have thought about every death I had to write about and every pervert sitting in jail.  Jokes get us through the tough stuff.  So outsiders of journalism, just excuse us when we seem unfeeling and crass– it’s just a defense mechanism.

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Example 2:

I’ve never been taught to talk back, question authority or make a fuss if things don’t go my way.  My mother’s solution to most problems is to back off and let bygones be bygones.  In the newsroom, if you don’t fight for information, question authority or raise a stink when you’re not getting what you want you’re doing it wrong.

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I love when you hear someone yelling on the other side of the phone, or when I’m the one having to put a firm foot down because when the phone is hung up everyone cheers, congratulates, and gives you a pat on the back.  Things are done differently in the news world.

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Example 3:

Last week, there was a young girl killed in a wooded area in between some residential homes. It’s sad, yes, but that is not the story.  The press release was literally three sentences with zero detail.  Well, that wouldn’t do.  So off I went on a quest to find something, anything.  And find it I did.

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After what felt like years, I finally stumbled onto the street, which turned out to be a small road that dead-ended with one home and led to the wooded trail where her body was found.  When I arrived, the Sheriff’s Office was collecting their police tape and heading out, leaving behind one, small yellow piece of tape.

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Most people would walk up to the tape, look over it, and walk away.  In the world of reporting, that just doesn’t seem like you’ve tried hard enough.  An arrest had been made, most of the tape had been removed, and the Sheriff’s deputies were gone so I figured the small strip of tape was more of a suggestion, which I didn’t abide by.

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I casually walked under the tape and found the trail where I assumed she had been killed. Of course, I was this far, might as well keep going. I found every entrance blocked off, found an apartment complex that had been questioned the night before, and got some excellent quotes.

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Then, as I was making my way back to my car, I found myself hiding behind a bush as a group of people– I have no clue who they were– were making their way under the yellow tape.  There were two entrances, so I stealthily walked the opposite way of the folks headed to the trail until I had made it out of the path and to my car.  (Without being seen, I might add.)

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Reporters, we’re not normal.

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Dan’s Journey to Iraq: A Student Press Adventure, Part 6, “No More Violence at AUIS!”

Posted in College Media, International Student Media, Journalism, Student Newspaper on July 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Early last year, I began writing about The AUIS Voice, the first independent student newspaper in post-Saddam Iraq.  Started by a scrappy band of Iraqi students and an impassioned ex-Washington Post reporter, the Voice’s spirit of innovation is ironically its adherence to the oldest principles of the craft: objectivity, editorial freedom, and the search for truth (rarities among Iraqi media).  In mid-May, via a university grant, I traveled to the northern Kurdish region of Iraq to interview and observe the student staffers in action– along with gaining a glimpse of the university and region where their unfolding story is set.  This series is centered on my trip.

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Dan’s Journey to Iraq: A Student Press Adventure

Voice staffers work on the layout of the 'protest issue' on a recent weekend afternoon in the newsroom. Left to right: Arez Hussen Ahmed, Taha Faris, Yad Faiq, Mohammed Raja, and Namo Kaftan.

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Part 6: “No More Violence at AUIS!”

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On a hot, dusty afternoon in Sulaimani, Iraq, five Voice editors and staff adviser Paul Craft gathered in the paper’s newsroom– a small adapted storage space inside the university’s cafeteria.  The diagonal-shaped room sports a single Mac computer on a table, wood-paneled walls, a pair of ornate couches, and a copy of the front page of the first issue framed along one wall.  There are old issues, staplers, pens, page proofs, a random winter jacket, and bottles of water and Coke scattered about. The lighting is sparse, bathing the room in a surreal amber glow hovering between shadowy and, well, dark.

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On that day, as I watched, editor-in-chief Arez Hussen Ahmed led an editorial meeting.  Only a few feet away, outside the door bearing the Voice‘s name and logo, a few scattered students sat at the cafeteria tables studying.  Lunch had been served hours before.

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The meeting lasted only a few minutes, focused mostly on content for the next issue– the protest issue had already been put to bed and would arrive on campus in a few days.  To be frank, the ideas did not exactly flow.  Overall, the meeting was as eerily quiet as the cafeteria where it was being held.  Editorial page editor Mohammed Raja said at one point, “That’s what happens when the university is so small.  It is tough to find stories.”

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The most enthusiastic burst of chatter occurred while staff brainstormed a topic for the unsigned editorial, the feature in the paper in which staffers have been the most aggressive in questioning administrators and challenging the status quo.  On this Monday, the few ideas batted about were lame and quickly petered out, leading to the classic exchange below:

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Ahmed: “What’s a problem here?”

Raja, with a sly smile: “I could punch someone.”

Craft, grinning, while holding his hands up in mock protest: “No more violence at AUIS!”

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The back-and-forth was genuinely funny– leading to laughter all around.  Then, happy sighs.  Then, silence.  Then, serious faces reemerging.  Then, Ahmed: “So really, what is happening that we should we write about?”

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The Voice is at a tremendously important moment of transition– one that I hope might lead to its expansion and maturation but that I fear might be its breaking point.  During its early days, the newspaper was dubbed “a trailblazer in the region,”  ”a voice of independence for the AUIS community,” and ”a new standard for journalism in Iraq.”

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Now at 18 months old, while continuing to uphold that standard, it faces a number of challenges that I do believe threaten its long-term survival.  One of them is a seemingly shrinking staff.  The university does not yet have a journalism program or related classes or clubs– completely understandable given its young age and under-construction status.  But it does make it tough to educate, enliven, and recruit future reporters and editors.

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A majority of the students on staff with whom I interacted during my visit were the same ones with whom I had first spoken more than a year before.  Outreach and fresh faces are needed.  Meanwhile, the Voice‘s competition has grown– most prominently a snarky, sensationalist student-run blog that Craft describes as triple fudge rocky road compared to the paper’s vanilla.

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Editorial Page Editor Mohammed Raja and I pose in the Voice newsroom.

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Separately, it was clear to me during my visit that the electricity of the paper’s start-up status has also faded– and I don’t mean that cynically.  After all, even the most idealistic adventures must eventually settle into workhorse grooves.  But I did find myself feeling an indefinable malaise hovering around many of the proceedings. (Not that the staff lacked for spurts of passion and occasional laughter.  The funniest aside came on production day from Yad Faiq, who laid out an editorial with the headline “Seeking Strength Through Unity,” and then said, “Ninjas would not like this saying. . . . They always work alone.”)  And it was very close to the end of the school year, so I may have simply been seeing the all-eyes-on-break mentality pervasive at many student pubs here come late April-early May.

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Either way, the school year’s close signals another challenge for the paper to surmount: The Voice is losing the second of its two most impassioned advocates.

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Last fall, Jackie Spinner, the former Washington Post reporter who singlehandedly conceived the paper and inspired students to sign on, left the university to undertake a Fulbright in Oman.  Craft, the university’s registrar, has been a hard-working, compassionate adviser in her stead but fully admits he does not possess her singular devotion to journalism that many students tell me is the main reason they originally joined the paper.

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Now, Ahmed is also moving on, after devoting his heart, soul, and oodles of spare time to the Voice for more than a year.  There are a number of dedicated staffers, but Ahmed is so synonymous with the paper’s editorial vigor that there was genuine skepticism among AUIS faculty and staff with whom I spoke about whether the Voice would survive his exit.

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One of my lasting memories of Ahmed: Late in the afternoon during production day for the protest issue, he mentioned he had been working so hard he hadn’t eaten anything all day.  He asked me what the English word is for the noise your stomach makes when you’re hungry.  I told him most of us here would refer to it as growling.  He smiled.  “My stomach is growling,” he said.  ”That sounds right.”

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Will the student(s) set to take over the paper possess a similar journalistic growl?

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One student who I am confident will leave a lasting mark on Iraqi journalism is Kurdistan Fatih.  On my first day in the country, I shadowed her during her reporting on a story about construction of the new AUIS campus.  It was an absolutely inspiring sight to behold…

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To Be Continued ||| Part 7 (Conclusion): “Kurdistan’s Story”

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Read about the Voice’s founding in my exclusive six-part CMM series, originally posted in April-May 2010.

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Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five || Part Six

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Student Press Story Ideas: Alien Sex, Slow Sex, SlutWalks

Posted in College Media, International Student Media, Journalism, New Media, Story Ideas, Student Newspaper, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 16, 2011 | 1 Comment »

The age of “paranormal erotica” is upon us, according to The State Press.  In a recent column in the Arizona State University student newspaper, Mary Richardson writes that numerous books, films, and songs are implanting an overt, otherworldly sexuality into popular culture that is upstaging romantic interactions among mere mortals.

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Or as the column’s headline states more simply, “Human sex just isn’t trendy anymore.”

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From our embrace of the “Twilight” series to certain Kanye West ballads (including “Monster” and the Katy Perry collaboration “E.T.”), Richardson argues society’s collective lust is now aimed squarely at “galactic figures” such as vampires, zombies, goblins, ghouls, and good-ol’ extraterrestrials.

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“The creatures that left us terrified as children now contribute to our sexual charge,” Richardson contends.  ”How did that happen?  The paranormal fad shows either that people are becoming kinkier or that they are just more open to expressing it now. Kanye West poses, ‘Tell me what’s next, alien sex?’  Apparently so.”

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Separately, one fad that has caught on at the human level: slow sex. According to a report late last month in The Daily Texan at the University of Texas at Austin, the slow sex movement is centered on establishing “deeper connection, deeper intimacy or help in communication” among couples.  Daily Texan staff writer Pooneh Momeni writes that its popularity is a pushback against the evermore all-encompassing cyber distractions keeping partners from enjoying their time together without thoughts of texts and tweets.

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“In today’s hyper-connected world . . . [m]eaningful sex has taken a backseat to instant gratification,” Momeni confirms.  ”Sex has become so time consuming that 17 percent of cell phone users admit to checking their gadgets during sex.”

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Yikes.  By comparison, in slow sex workshops, participants are ordered to slow down, engage in deep conversation with their partner face-to-face, and discuss their desires and what they notice about the other person when they are giving them their full attention.

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Meanwhile, this past spring, across the border, the attention of many activists shifted to York University in Toronto.  As The Exacalibur student newspaper first reported, a local police officer speaking at an early April campus safety information session advised female students to not “dress like sluts” in order to avoid being sexually assaulted.

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The comment prompted worldwide backlash and the birth of a new movement named for its chief activity: the SlutWalk.  The provocatively titled protest march involves women– and men– strolling in public while dressed in a sexually suggestive manner.  It is aimed at eliminating the misperception that clothing choices cause sexual violence.  Among the signs carried by the walkers, according to NextGen Journal‘s Adrienne Edwards: “Don’t tell me what to wear; tell men not to rape.”

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As Alex Wagstaff notes in a mid-June Excalibur column, “Studies have found that a woman’s clothing has no bearing on her likelihood of being raped.  Most rapists don’t even remember what their victim was wearing.  The most common outfit for rape victims is jeans and a T-shirt.  Sexual victims aren’t just the women in short skirts. They are our friends, our sisters, our mothers, our daughters.”

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Edwards, a University of Pennsylvania student, writes separately that the walks also relate to a larger push for greater respect.  ”It is not just about feminism, it is not just about violence; it is about a common concern for our fellow human being,” she argues.  ”[T]he marches are begging the question, if we do dress like sluts, what then?  Are we not still entitled to the same respect that any other human walking this Earth does?  It challenges everyone to think about how we relate to other different people.  Is it really OK to disrespect the homeless man you saw on the street today?  Is it really OK to disrespect someone perceived as less powerful than you?  Is it really OK to disrespect a woman because of what she is wearing?“

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Michigan Daily Arts Editor Proma Khosla Says Goodbye to ‘Harry Potter Childhood’

Posted in College Media, Journalism, Story Ideas, Student Newspaper on July 14, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

At page 699, Proma Khosla almost threw up.  While reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the University of Michigan student and HP superfan simply could not stomach the drama playing out on the pages before her.

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As she recalled in a recent Michigan Daily column, “My face was already soaked with tears, my body convulsing with hysterical sobs, but on page 699, I had to drop everything and run to the bathroom because I was sure I was going to be sick.”

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Fortunately, the feeling passed, and she was able to complete the book.  Khosla, the student newspaper’s senior arts editor, has long felt a strong connection to Harry and company. She is part of what her fellow staffer Ankur Sohoni previously dubbed the “Harry Potter generation.”

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“I’ve been with Harry since I was eight years old,” she confirms. “That’s well over half my life, and for all that time, there has always been something to look forward to in the world of Potter. Even since the last book and the empty feeling of knowing it was the end, there was always this last movie. It was a pleasant, unreachable future, distant enough that I didn’t need to worry about losing Harry forever. But that day has come.”

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In a quick Q&A, Khosla discusses what the series has meant to her, her hopes for the final film and why she is attending a convention in Florida to simultaneously celebrate its premiere and the “definitive end” to her childhood.

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Proma Khosla, Michigan Daily senior arts editor

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For those who don’t get it, what is so wondrous about all-things HP?

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I think the wonder lies in how realistic the stories are, despite often being shunted into the “fantasy” genre. Sure, there are dragons and ghosts and people flying on broomsticks, but there’s also humor, romance and just the everyday adventure of being at school. What really got me personally was that this whole magical world is hidden from Muggles. I love the idea that it could all be real and we just don’t know it.

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Nineteen years from now (or thereabouts), what will you tell a child who sees the HP books on your shelf about what the series meant to you growing up?

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Harry Potter was, above all, my constant while growing up. There was always a book, movie or convention on the horizon. There was comfort in knowing that if something went wrong in real life, Harry would be there for me. Most importantly, a shared love of these books has introduced me to people that I would never have met otherwise. What started as a bond over Harry Potter has grown into true friendships that transcend age and location. The evidence of what these books have done for me lies in every text, phone call, conversation and hug that I share with my “fandom” friends. I will always be grateful for that.

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To read the rest of the Q&A, click here or on the screenshot below.

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Free Speech, the N-word, and an Orientation Issue Come to a Head at NC State

Posted in College Media, Free Press Fights, Journalism, Magazine Journalism, Teachable Moment on July 13, 2011 | 2 Comments »

The second college media controversy of the summer centered on an orientation issue has surfaced at North Carolina State University.  According to a Student Press Law Center report, NC State administrators first temporarily pulled and then later covered up a portion of a student newsmagazine that innocently contains a racial epithet.

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Late last week, school officials removed a student-produced pub called Brick from the bags set to be distributed to incoming students visiting as part of an orientation program.  The reason: the N-word appears in a small portion of a photograph on page 42.  Irony alert: The word has been spray-painted onto the walls of the school’s famed Free Expression Tunnel, which of course allows students to write (or spray) whatever they want.

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I've inserted a red arrow to point out what I think is the N-word reference that concerned administrators.

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A few days later, after some haggling, the school once again began allowing Brick to be included in the bags, but with stickers placed over the N-word in the photo.  The stickers are adorned with text hyping a painting event later this semester at the tunnel.  So it’s a bit of free speech covered up by a promo for free expression.

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My take: Sigh.  The SPLC report gives off the vibe that the admins. were at least conflicted about the decision, and I give them a sliver of credit for the compromise. But it is still PR overkill.  As offensive as the word might be, it apparently is part of the tunnel’s reality.  Susannah Brinkley, a recent NC State grad. who oversaw Brick‘s production, told SPLC writer Seth Zweifler, “Whether I agree with it or not, I defend students’ right to free speech in the tunnel.  I believe that the photo is an accurate representation of the tunnel on any given day.”

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Glossing over it is just hiding the truth.  The truth is that NC State allows these things to be written– the tunnel is owned and supported by the school.  So you either stand for free expression or not.  To only support it in a darkened tunnel or unless something controversial appears is not a stellar message to be sending to the incoming class.  And members of this very class will apparently see the same thing or something like it in just a few weeks when they’re walking through the tunnel on their way to class.  My advice: Stage a diversity summit or hold an info session explaining the tunnel’s perceived strengths and weaknesses.  But don’t try to hide the truth.  It’s offensive to your students.

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Finally, to be clear, the magazine is not supporting the word.  It is promoting the tunnel in which it was written.  As a student newspaper adviser noted on an advisers’ list-serv last night: “Talk about shooting the messenger.”

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And by the way, the first controversy of the summer involving an orientation issue occurred at Southern Methodist University.

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Fight Over Mustang Daily Sex Column at Cal Poly Helps Define Modern Student Press

Posted in College Media, Free Press Fights, Journalism, Student Newspaper on July 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

As I have written many times before, the biggest battles in collegemediatopia take place behind the scenes.  My estimate: For each major censorship scandal (like this past spring’s La Salle stripper story prior restraint), there are more than a hundred notes of criticism or threats of censorship from those in power.  They don’t make headlines, but they do challenge j-students and their advisers, and further cement the need for a strong, independent student press.

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Leticia Rodriguez, outgoing editor-in-chief of The Mustang Daily, was challenged this past February.  In emails recently brought to my attention, a dean at California Polytechnic State University sharply criticized Rodriguez and the newspaper for publishing a column on blowjobs.  As the messages below reveal, Rodriguez’s reply should strike a chord with all student press supporters searching for the right balance between respecting gray-haired admins. and, well, telling them frankly how it is.

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I also corresponded with Rodriguez briefly to provide some context for the messages. Here’s our quick Q&A:

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During your tenure, what was the paper’s general perspective on publishing sex and love columns, including those on less-than-PG topics?

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Rodriguez: When it came to sex and love columns, we pretty much gave our columnists free rein because we really wanted them to feel comfortable to discuss their views on their given subjects.  While some of the topics were not something I would write about or something another editor would write about, we had to think of our audience and the fact that some people do want to hear about different sex acts.  Some staff members were a lot more vocal about sex than others.  Taking that into consideration, we had to remember that some were going to be upset by some of the topics while other thought the topics tame.  The only point that I absolutely stressed was that no column would be published that encouraged getting a girl or boy drunk in order to hook up, rape, give them date rape drugs, and acts along those lines.  Other than that, we encouraged them to talk about what they wanted to talk about and if we did have an issue, we talked about it with them immediately.

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Embedded in the dean’s emails, were there any particular points you felt were sound or worth a discussion in the newsroom?

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I did not feel any of the arguments made by the dean were really worth discussing in full detail with the staff. After reading the email, the general manager asked me if there was any time in which I would not publish one of the sex columns.  I told him only if the column encouraged date rape, drugs, excessive drinking, etc.  We also talked about it with the sex columnist.  She was a little nervous about the whole situation, but knew that the managing editor and I would always support her.  The staff last year was extremely close and we talked about a lot of things during our big Sunday night meetings, so the complaint by the dean was well known.  Above everything, the staff supported the sex columnist (who was also a copy editor) and was not happy by some of the statements made by the dean because we were all very close and supportive of each other.  The managing editor and I didn’t really keep secrets from other staff members so they knew where we stood on the situation as well as what action was being taken.

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Here are the original messages.  My reaction: dismay at the admin’s ignorant overreaching (he admits he doesn’t read the paper much and is obviously clueless about the rise in student newspaper sex columns worldwide) and adoration for Rodriguez’s professionalism in both replies.

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As I can attest from my extensive research for my book Sex and the University, the dean’s messages contain all the trappings of the typical school official sex column complaint– referring to a school donor, questioning sex’s place in journalism, making the argument one of morality, mentioning an editor’s/columnist’s family (a low blow in my opinion), speaking about how they ‘get it’ on one level because they lived through the ’60s, and, of course, saying in the end that they are simply trying to be a good teacher (in a field in which they have no real experience) and don’t actually want to cause any trouble for the paper.  Hmm.

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MESSAGE #1

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Dear Leticia:

I was disappointed to see the sex column in the Mustang Daily Wednesday, February 9.  I would not have seen it except a donor disgustedly alerted me to it.  To have a column on blow jobs is not appropriate or dignified for a legitimate campus newspaper and the graphic descriptions are beyond trashy.

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In bringing issues such as this to the attention of the Mustang Daily in the past I have been told respectfully that this is what students want and that it is common in campus newspapers today though this may not have been the case in my generation.  Let me assure you that I am not a prude.  I do have the maturity of age.  If you put this kind of stuff in the newspaper I suspect quite a few people will read it because of the sensational nature of it.  That doesn’t mean they were clammering for it before.  And because others do something does not mean you should.

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The Mustang Daily needs to decide if it wants to be a respectable newspaper that emulates the dailies like New York Times or if it would rather be compared with the National Enquirer or Penthouse.  As editor you have the responsibility to ensure that your newspaper is of quality and something that brings pride to the University.  Any good you have in your newspaper is more than offset by articles such as this.

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Let me ask you and [the writer of the piece] if this is something you would be proud to show to your family…..parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, cousins?  Is it something you will want to place in your portfolio if you apply for a position at a newspaper?  Do you think this has brought pride and honor to Cal Poly?

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Again, Leticia…you are editor.  You are a senior.  This is on you…you are responsible.  Do you feel good about accepting and publishing such an article written by a sophomore at Cal Poly, probably still a teenager without the experience you have.  Do you think this is something of quality and that brings pride to you and your University?

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I hope you will eliminate such articles from your newspaper in the future and apologize for this one and previous ones that I heard about yesterday but did not see.  In the meantime I will deal with the donor whose pride in Cal Poly is severely compromised.

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Thank you for reading.

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Philip S. Bailey, Dean

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MESSAGE #2

—– Original Message —–

From: “Leticia M. Rodriguez”

To: “Phil Bailey” <pbailey@calpoly.edu>

Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 11:51:51 PM

Subject: Re: Sex Column

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Hi Dean Bailey,

First, I would just like to say that I’m saddened you don’t read the Mustang Daily on a regular basis and that you had to hear about the column from a donor. But I do appreciate you sending me an e-mail with your concerns.

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You say in your e-mail that I, as editor, need to decide if I want the Mustang Daily to be compared to The New York Times or the National Enquirer or Penthouse. Honestly, I would prefer for the Mustang Daily to carve its own path by not being afraid of being reprimanded by administrators for having the confidence to publish material that isn’t going to be accepted by all readers. Did I know, prior to publishing this article, that there would be people that were going to be upset? Absolutely because with more than 20,000 students, faculty and staff at Cal Poly it is not a simple task to please everyone and I would never go to the lengths to do so. You also state that just because students will read the column, it does not mean they were “clammering” for it. If this is your argument, the same argument could be made about almost any article ever published. There are students who could care less about the liberal column and may even be greatly offended by it but there are also students who love the column and the same goes for Caitlyn’s sex column. There will always be people who hate what is in the paper and people who enjoy what is in the paper. Again, it is not my job to be a people-pleaser and I would not want it any other way.

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Would I put this piece of writing in my portfolio? Yes, because, along with the 40 other articles I have written for the Mustang Daily, this shows that I have a wide variety of writing styles in my arsenal. It would show that I can write hard-hitting news, cover sports, write a profile, cover arts events and produce a column that gets people talking.

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The thing that makes me proud is running this award-winning newspaper (we, in fact, just won three awards from the California College Media Association) with every single member of this fantastic Mustang Daily staff. I am proud of them, I am proud of the work they put in and I am proud of each issue that we produce as a staff, both as editorial and advertising. Yes, I am responsible for this paper and I take full responsibility for the editorial content in the Mustang Daily as I have clearly shown by addressing any and all concerns about any story from any student, faculty, staff or administrator. Unlike you, I do not think [the writer's] age is a factor here because (as is common in our generation but maybe not so much in yours), young people are becoming more sexually involved and knowledgeable at a younger age. The only important factor here is that [the writer] is an adult. She is a very intelligent young woman very capable of making her own decisions. I in no way encouraged or forced or pushed her to write an article on this topic. It was her decision and (as I have said countless times before and will say again), I stand behind her 100 percent. Is this article of quality that brings pride to Cal Poly? Yes, because it shows that Cal Poly believes in its students and does not censor their ideas and voices even if they may not agree with them. If it’s pride toward Cal Poly you’re concerned about, there are numerous other incidences by other students, faculty and staff that may not paint a positive light on Cal Poly. This is not to say that I condone other behaviors or choose to emulate them, I am simply saying that everything can have a negative spin depending on the way it is viewed. Will some look at this column and (as you have so clearly stated) proclaim it to be trashy? Yes. But will others view this article and applaud Cal Poly for educating confident and intelligent young men and women? Yes.

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Dean Bailey, I will not apologize for publishing this article or any of the previously published articles. Nor will I force [the writer] to do so either. If she chooses to send an apology I will support her, but you will not receive one from me. I have talked to the managing editor [name omitted] and he agrees with me. The only thing I will apologize for is that you feel you have to “deal” with a donor instead of being proud of the Mustang Daily and the hard work the students put into creating the newspaper every night. As a dean, professor and member of the Cal Poly community, it would be my hope that instead of trying to placate a donor who does not agree with my decision, you would instead support us and encourage us to push our journalistic abilities to the sky. If this donor truly has an issue with the column, please encourage him to contact me directly. I will be more than happy to discuss with him any concerns he may have. . . .

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If you have more concerns, please feel free to e-mail me again or I would be glad to meet with you in person.

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Leticia

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MESSAGE #3

—– Original Message —–

From: “Phil Bailey”

To: “Leticia M. Rodriguez”

Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 9:13:11 AM

Subject: Re: Sex Column

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Dear Leticia:

I agree conceptually with almost everything you say.  And though I may have given the impression that this has caused problems with a donor, it isn’t about the donor.  The Mustang Daily should publish what it deems appropriate without regard for donors or me for that matter.  But there is an intellectual difference between publishing divergent viewpoints on various topics and offering graphic descriptions of how to do a blow job.  If you really thought this was appropriate material, then I have no argument with this particular decision though I disagree with it.  My argument really must address your decision making process and the values you use in making determinations.  And since I don’t have the time to pursue this I guess these are issues you must address as an editorial board in a thoughtful way.

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I think the Mustang Daily shows a lot of quality.  I read it occasionally and we advertise in it and will continue to do so.  However, over the years I have been saddened by what I deem disrespectful or trashy material.  I believe the first time I wrote the editor several years ago it was about a sex column that (as I remember) encouraged upper classmen to take advantage of freshmen women before they put on the freshmen 15.  My daughter who is a social worker told me recently that most women have been inappropriately touched or molested sometime in their lives starting in childhood.  Approximately one in four college aged women have been subject to sexual assault.  These are merely some of the issues you should consider in making decisions on articles such as those you publish on sex.

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Finally, Cal Poly is one of the nation’s most selective public universities.  The students who enroll are among the best in California.  Surely you can engage them through the Mustang Daily in ways that are much more useful and intellectual.  I went to school in the 60′s during the civil rights movement, the Vietnam war, and during the time that President Kennedy and his brother Robert and Martin Luther King were assassinated.  It was a time of turmoil and conflict with many divergent viewpoints and these have played a major role in my education and growth as a person.  I know you address issues of the day and I encourage you to continue this and to avoid unnecessary material that, in my opinion, cheapens your newspaper.

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Thanks again for reading.

Philip S. Bailey, Dean

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MESSAGE #4

—– Original Message —–

From: “Leticia M. Rodriguez”

To: “Phil Bailey”

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Dean Bailey,

I respectfully disagree and feel that some of your backlash against the paper is due in part because of a donor. If that isn’t the case, then you wouldn’t have mentioned it in your previous e-mail. When the staff makes a decision to publish a story or article, we do not take into consideration whether or not the administration or other faculty members will be upset with us as a result of the content because that is not our job. We publish hard-hitting news, soft news, arts events, sports games, athlete profiles and news that affects the Cal Poly community. People are always going to be upset by something that is published in any forum because it makes them uncomfortable, makes them question those they trust or makes them expand their mind in ways they aren’t ready for.

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My “values” (as you have put into question) are very strong and every decision I make is with the Mustang Daily in mind. You may not agree with my decisions regarding the newspaper but you also don’t read the newspaper to see what we’re all about. You’re not in the newsroom at night to see the work we put in and so I don’t think it’s fair for you to question my values. That would be for another conversation and e-mail chain.

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You talk about advertising in the Mustang Daily and I think that is fantastic. I assume why you mention that your college advertises in the paper is to show that you support us but supporting the students and the newspaper is so much more than buying an ad when the new president arrives on campus. Supporting the newspaper is reading it more than when a donor doesn’t approve of an article, supporting it is sticking up for the students who work for the paper and supporting it is sending an e-mail with your concerns that doesn’t include questioning someone’s values whom you have only met once.

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While I think the statistics you mentioned are very noteworthy, I must say that I am offended that you believe I don’t take into consideration the safety of the women on this campus. As a 22-year-old woman who lived in San Luis Obispo during the time when Kristen Smart and Aundria Crawford were killed, I can remember when the news broke and I can see it in my parents eyes every time I leave the house at night, their fear that I could be the next one. You’re talking to a woman whose friend was sexually assaulted at a party, whose friend was beaten and almost raped by a close friend and who asks her managing editor to walk her to her car at night after we send the paper to the printer. I care very much about the safety of the women on this campus and you can bet that I would be the first to stand against sexual assault or violence against any human being. I have a younger sister, I have little cousins — you’re preaching to the choir Dean Bailey.

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I can only imagine the excitement and the buzz during the ’60s. To live during such a historic moment in American history is fascinating and I can only imagine what it was like. However, these aren’t the ’60s and the way students and other readers are engaged in the newspaper has changed. While you may find the article to be trashy and undesirable, others find it intriguing and are using it as an informational tool. We will continue to publish material that addresses the issues of the day but that might not always be favorable in everyone’s eyes. Even if some believe it “cheapens” our newspaper.

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Leticia

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Dan’s Journey to Iraq: A Student Press Adventure, Part 5, “All Saddam, All the Time”

Posted in College Media, International Student Media, Journalism, Student Newspaper on July 10, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Early last year, I began writing about The AUIS Voice, the first independent student newspaper in post-Saddam Iraq.  Started by a scrappy band of Iraqi students and an impassioned ex-Washington Post reporter, the Voice’s spirit of innovation is ironically its adherence to the oldest principles of the craft: objectivity, editorial freedom, and the search for truth (rarities among Iraqi media).  In mid-May, via a university grant, I traveled to the northern Kurdish region of Iraq to interview and observe the student staffers in action– along with gaining a glimpse of the university and region where their unfolding story is set.  This series is centered on my trip.

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Dan’s Journey to Iraq: A Student Press Adventure

A quick shot taken during a mid-May hike outside Halabja, Iraq. Read Part 4 to find out why I'm wearing dress pants for a hike. :)

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Part 5: “All Saddam, All the Time”

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When we last left Arez Hussen Ahmed, the Voice editor-in-chief, he was determining how to cover the largest student protest in the brief history of the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS).  At lunchtime on a mid-May weekday, roughly 100 Kurdish students had taken to the steps of AUIS’s main administrative building to oppose a rumor that officials planned to drop Sulaimani from the university’s name.

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To the student protesters, the school’s hometown, Sulaimani (affectionately dubbed Suli), is not just a city.  It is a symbol of larger Kurdistan, a homeland often referred to as “the other Iraq” for its disparate politics, culture, history, and dominant language.  In this vein, many Kurdish students saw Suli’s potential removal from the school name as a blow to the region’s ethnic identity.

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A shot of the mid-May AUIS student gathering, in protest of administrators' rumored intent to remove Sulaimani from the university's name. The name change plan was subsequently dropped, with AUIS officials saying it had all been a misunderstanding.

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In coordinating coverage, Ahmed had the added difficulty of balancing his love of journalism with his own Kurdish nationalism.  These dual, dueling passions left him most reliant on journalism’s bottom line: objectivity.

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It is not a buzzword within Iraqi media, according to Judit Neurink, director of the Independent Media Centre in Kurdistan.  Independence, accuracy, and solid sourcing also tend to be scant.  Instead, the press is openly political.  “Media here are all tied to parties,” said Neurink.  “Most media are only writing what the party expects them to write.”

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The Voice’s first design editor Yad Faiq concurred, noting, “In Iraq, for many years, any parts of media, all the newspapers and television and radio have all been related to political authorities and political people or they are related to your sex or your religion or your ethnicity.  They are not independent.”

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The Voice is the exception.  It is the first editorially independent student newspaper in Iraq.  It boasts a clear demarcation between commentary and news and not even a whiff of political influence.

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To ensure no actual or perceived bias, Kurds and Arabs serve together on the editorial board and general staff, a rarity within the Iraqi press.  The Voice also typically avoids stories about political, religious or ethnic issues, viewing that coverage scope as a slippery slope toward party-controlled media.

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Yet, a protest on the school’s main steps was impossible to ignore.  Ahmed knew a Kurdish student with strong nationalist feelings such as himself would not be perceived as an objective reporter.

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Arez Hussen Ahmed, 20, an international studies major at AUIS, is editor-in-chief of The Voice.

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So he assigned the story to Hussein Hussein, an Arab student from Baghdad who fell in love with journalism for its “investigations, how you find the news, find the truth, meet people, and talk to them.”

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Hussein described the media atmosphere growing up as “all Saddam, all the time.”  He recalled once watching an important soccer match on television between Iraq and Jordan, only to have it suddenly interrupted by a broadcast of yet another Saddam speech.  By the time the station cut back to the game, the Iraq side had scored.  “We didn’t get to see the goal,” he said.

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Hussein and Ahmed agreed the goal with the protest piece was to accomplish something Saddam-era media often failed– to present a story people most wanted to see, fairly, factually, from all angles.  Following those edicts, it premiered in print early the next week as the top story on the front page.

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It was the only story in local print, online or broadcast media to report from all perspectives– those of the Kurdish student protesters; the AUIS administrators (who said no plans were in place to remove the city from the name); the angry Arab students who felt attacked by the rampant Kurdish nationalism; and other students who could not care less.  “We are the paper who will get the full story,” Ahmed said after delivering the issue on campus.  “This is the reason we need to stick around.”

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To Be Continued ||| Part 6: “No More Violence at AUIS!”

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Read about the Voice’s founding in my exclusive six-part CMM series, originally posted in April-May 2010.

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Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five || Part Six

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Boulder Daily Camera: University of Colorado ‘Vague with Direction of Journalism Education’

Posted in College Media, Journalism, Journalism Education, Student Newspaper on July 8, 2011 | 1 Comment »

Journalism’s place at the University of Colorado feels far from assured and the plan in place to shepherd it to its new incarnation is coming across as muddled, an editorial late last month in Boulder’s Daily Camera alleges.

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This past spring, as many in the journalism community are aware, the Board of Regents at CU voted to close the university’s School of Journalism & Mass Communication based upon the recommendation of an outside advisory board.  The vote officially ended a long discontinuance process that has been viewed by some as a harbinger of dark days ahead for journalism education nationwide.

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School officials have apparently promised that journalism and the people who teach it will continue to exert a strong presence at CU.  Yet, the first related decision, in the wake of the j-school’s closure: choosing as the interim head of the j-faculty an Italian and French professor with not an ounce of journalism in his blood or background.

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Writing for the Camera‘s editorial board, Erika Stutzman confirmed, “This [decision] led many in the community– particularly CU graduates who are or were journalists– to say, huh?  In shutting down the program, the school’s leadership was emphatic that its dedication to journalism education would continue.  And this board wondered where that newfound desire to have a strong interdisciplinary focus went.”

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Stutzman also criticizes the roundabout decision-making on other issues, including the formation of several in-house and outside groups responsible for bigger-picture planning involving the new school into which all-things-journalism (faculty, classes, students) will be segueing.  ”Many of tomorrow’s journalists– and yes, there will be journalists tomorrow– will be seeking out the most interesting academic programs to learn their craft,” she writes.  ”By hemming and hawing during this shutdown-building phase of the old journalism school and the interdisciplinary one that will emerge, CU has done itself no favors.”

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Stutzman’s words echo those that have been sounded throughout the discontinuance process.  For example, in late April, three members of the Board of Regents who did NOT vote for the j-school closure wrote, “[T]he future of CU-Boulder’s journalism education, beyond the President’s promise that it will continue, is unclear.”

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In an editorial published around that time, CU Independent editor-in-chief Kate Spencer charged students with the task of creating their own journalism experiences while at CU.  ”It is up to you to take back your journalism education and make it your own in a world of discontinuance,” Spencer wrote.  ”You want to be a journalist?  Go do it.  It’s up to you now.”

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