Editor:
I am writing in response to Salem Honey’s letter (“Everything in The Chronicle is worthless trash,” Feb. 1). Her letter is just more evidence of how people can be so ignorant and misunderstanding. The content of her remarks were cynical, inaccurate and for the most part juvenile.
All in all, I just want to say thumbs up to the editorial staff at The Chronicle, you do an extraordinary job at providing the student body with recent current events, campus activities and additional points of interest.
On a daily basis the paper is highlighted with the latest sports scores, campus events and important school deadlines (such as when tuition is due). Additionally, the paper does an exceptional job at covering global topics; the articles regarding tuition and immigration were very informative and well written. And, on a lighter note, the column by Eric Vogeler (“Anything a guy can do, a girl can do better,” Jan. 31) was an obvious attention-grabber and at the same time humorous. A newspaper-like The Chronicle-is a conglomeration of various topics: opposing opinions, insights and recent events, all at an amateur level.
Each one of us has different expectations from printed media, we choose to read what mostly appeals to us, for this reason there are dozens of newspapers published everyday. For example: The Salt Lake Tribune, The Deseret News, USA Today-and if you’re looking for something less broad and more information-specific: The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times or say, a college campus newspaper.
Salem Honey-who thinks otherwise-needs to re-evaluate the purpose of a newspaper, more specifically a college one. The Daily Utah Chronicle is a school newspaper: edited, written and specifically targeted to appeal to a college-age based audience. Likewise, you would not expect to receive the same information in The Chronicle that you would receive in a highly sophisticated paper like The New York Times.
Furthermore, the column criticizes the paper for lack of professionalism and substance. However, isn’t college a place where people come to learn new skills and at the same time strive for professionalism? The editors at The Chronicle are more than just students attempting to put together a daily newspaper. They are aspiring journalists and editors who will potentially be working for these more sophisticated, professional written newspapers (The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Boston Globe).
The Chronicle provides many opportunities for students to hone and practice their editorial and journalism skills, something which will give them an edge once they enter the professional work environment. In addition, a college newspaper gives students an opportunity to use the skills acquired in the classroom and actually apply them in a realistic setting.
Personally, I would agree that The Chronicle is modestly popular. However, let’s consider the challenges that are presented when publishing a newspaper, especially one that is printed daily: deadlines, editing, research, design, page layout and the list could go on. Also, most of the editors are full-time students-that is quite the workload for a college student.
So in other words, calling The Chronicle “trash” is a very inaccurate judgment.
Marcelo TorreJunior, Communication