Due to the comments several incoherent people have posted on our TalonMarks website, it has come to my attention that it really isn't their fault they write stupid comments.
To be fair and rather nice, I am taking the responsibility to inform, or better yet share, what it is that we do as part of the newspaper staff.
For those who don't know how a newspaper works, I understand the ridiculous, immature, and absolutely naive comments they make.
Take for example two of the most recent articles written about homecoming.
One written by my fellow friend and staff writer Rick Gomez, and the other written by myself, Elieth.
Rick's story was supposed to announce this year's Homecoming Queen, and it did just that.
If I'm not mistaken, the very first line of his article states, "After the Homecoming events held the past few weeks, Helen Eggleston of the Court Reporting Club was announced 2008 Homecoming Queen."
Now, if this was a "feature" story, we (Talon Marks) would have run an entire article about Eggleston and how great she is and how excited she was to win etc. etc.
However, this was not a feature story. This was a news story, meaning it was just supposed to supply the information known, along with several quotes from various sources.
When people say things like "you guys are biased" and "that's slander," it is clear that you don't know what you are talking about.
Just because the newspaper provides quotes of people who opinion different than you does not mean it is being bias. It simply means that there are people out there who don't agree with what many think.
It is our responsibility to incite campus discussion.
We do not input only those sources whose opinions we agree with, let alone sugar coat our stories to please the school government or its faculty or its students.
We collect facts, along with insight of people on campus, and provide the information through our articles.
If someone thought another candidate should have won, well then that is their opinion and they are entirely entitled to it.
Just the same, you are entitled to your own.
However, don't go around calling people names and pointing fingers just because the entire campus does not agree with you.
So when it really comes down to it, we don't put the pictures of the floats or people we "prefer."
We use whatever it is we can use.
We try write stories and provide pictures that apply to what is going on on campus.
To be honest, the homecoming stories and pictures should not have even been in the paper.
It was printed because this event was appealing to the students on campus.
So really, people should be glad we even made it as big of a deal as we did.
If certain people expect us to be the promotional and encouraging lip of the student government and clubs, they are wrong.
We cover stories from various point of views, not just the one that gives a lovey-dovey portrayal of its topic.
If anyone disagrees with my opinion, oh well so be it. I'm just trying to inform those who don't know what it's like to put a paper together.
Instead of criticizing it, you might want to consider joining and experiencing it first hand.
So don't just take my word for it, but of course I'm pretty sure most are already talking crap thinking I'm acting like a know-it-all.
Frankly, it's quite fine with me.
You don't write for the paper, you don't edit the paper, you don't produce the paper, you don't know half of the effort and hard work it takes to be in the paper.
So honestly, until you perform even the tiniest bit of responsibilities the people in here do, then I will take your opinion into consideration.
