As an Australian student on exchange for a semester in California, the time I’ve spent here so far has been unbelievably exciting and enjoyable. The people are friendly, the weather is perfect and I’m having the time of my life.
However, what has dampened my spirits within the past month can be related to the proverbial “rock in a shoe” idea, in that my enjoyable time here at CSULB as a journalism student is burdened with the increasing uncertainty regarding the future of the Daily Forty-Niner.
The recent controversy surrounding the future of this newspaper has introduced new and unfamiliar arguments for and against the paper’s continued publication, and a good deal of frustration has been vented on the issue. For me personally, the controversy stirs a disturbing and strangely ironic case of extreme déja vu.
The Independent Monthly, the newspaper of my home college of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, provided journalism students with an outlet to report, edit and publish news on a monthly basis. The paper allowed students to gain valuable experience and build up a portfolio of their published print clippings to show future employers.
Sound like a paper you know?
I deliberately use the past tense “provided” and “allowed” when referring to the Independent‘s operation and function, having painfully witnessed my college paper’s demise and eventual death in July of last year.
The meeting with the College of Liberal Arts Dean Gerry Riposa in the Daily Forty-Niner office had a similar feel to that of 2006 University of Queensland Journalism Department meetings. Those meetings had consisted of social and behavioral science faculty members, journalism department heads and Journalism Student Association leaders arguing over the Independent‘s newsworthiness, expenditure and layout.
The dominant theme of those meetings revolved around the idea that the Independent had deteriorated into an outlet for “vanity publishing,” meaning that students were basically writing stories for publication’s sake and were simply “going home to show your mum you had written for the paper.”
The paper’s budget was a prominent topic and confusion reigned over the exact expenses of the Independent, with the department greatly exaggerating an annual expenditure of $100,000 when $20,000 was a more accurate figure.
The final outcome saw the abolition of The Independent Monthly and the death of the student publication, without a website option even considered. Journalism students were left feeling empty and resentful toward the department, which itself suffered from in-fighting over some staff opposition toward the eradication of the newspaper.
Whilst the Forty-Niner‘s situation is obviously not as dire (and hopefully never will), the meetings with Riposa in which students vented their personal frustrations, along with a discussion of a $45,000 to $50,000 annual overrun in expenditure, have been all too familiar for me.
However while both situations are similar in terms of budget issues and student concern, they are yet so different in that the Forty-Niner could not be accused of so-called “vanity publishing,” as it provides students with opportunities and resources on a daily basis to fully research news stories and meet specific deadlines.
As well as this, the Forty-Niner staff members are enthusiastic about their day-to-day operation and display a genuine passion for their work, a vibrancy that ensures a smooth publication and an upbeat newsroom.
As a University of Queensland journalism student, I had no idea where the Independent‘s newsroom was situated and would only pick up a copy of the paper once a month when I went to hand in assignments.
What greatly appeals to me as an international student in my first semester at CSULB is the Daily Forty-Niner‘s noticeable presence on campus. This is seen through the newspaper vending machines, the weekly welcoming of students to the newsroom and students reading the paper in-between classes, while eating or waiting for the bus.
It is evident from these sights that the downsizing or complete abolition of the print version of the Forty-Niner to simply an online edition would be detrimental to campus life. With most students not possessing the time nor the motivation to visit the online Forty-Niner, news and events affecting CSULB students would go unread and unnoticed.
The previously mentioned “rock in a shoe” burden would accurately describe the mindset of all Forty-Niner staff and all journalism majors, who should be focused on reporting, editing and publishing the best news possible rather than being weighed down by the “rock” of uncertainty regarding the paper’s future.
As a student, writer and international visitor of CSULB who has only been in the country for a short period of time, I have discovered a deep respect and admiration for the Daily Forty-Niner on campus, and to transfer this vibrancy to the World Wide Web would be impossible.
While the College of Liberal Arts continues to debate over the future of the Forty-Niner, I’ll just keep searching for a cure for my déja vu.
Andrew Smith is junior journalism exchange student and a staff writer for the Daily Forty-Niner.
