COLUMN: Out with the old, in with the news

From Michael Mugmon's, "The Way It Is," Fall '98 From Michael Mugmon's, "The Way It Is," Fall '98Everyone hates the press nowadays. Let's face the facts -- it's fashionable to bash the news media when it highlights the negative. To take a page from the Whitewater affair, newspaper readers cringe when reporters try to add full tanks of gas to scandals that always seem to run on empty. At Penn, of course, the media probably won't launch a battle that will take men's lives. But the student press can spark a productive war of ideas, an intellectual struggle that can lead to meaningful change for the better. Consequently, the University's student press is hardly an institution anyone should despise -- or ignore. Rather, the University community should consider it a forum that sheds light both on what's running smoothly and what's in disrepair. As the executive editor-elect of The Daily Pennsylvanian, I can attest to the fact that the staff of the University's independent student newspaper makes a concerted effort to present the story from every side. If you think I'm spouting rhetoric, I implore you to read the DP over the upcoming year to see just what we're up to. Gentle readers, you're in store for something earth-shattering: the DP is going to make the news accessible. Not only will you get extensive coverage of everything from administrative appointments to the travails of the men's basketball team, but you'll also have the opportunity to sink your teeth into more investigative pieces, more stories on how students are changing life at Penn and more stories on how events impact specific segments of the University community -- Greeks, minorities, student organizations, local retailers, University employees, faculty and administrators, among many others. More importantly, however, you'll understand what's happening at the University and how it affects you. Too often it seems the media overlooks its audience when relaying the news. Have you ever read a story and been unable to comprehend what the reporter is discussing, much less why the article is running or how it pertains to you? On the other side of the broadsheet, if an editor instructs a reporter to make a piece accessible, the article too often appears "dumbed-down," or worse, it misses the point altogether. The Daily Pennsylvanian will avoid these traps in its effort to provide you with informed, comprehensible pieces that make sense. You'll know why we're covering a story and how it may change your Penn experience. This year at the DP, we'll let you know explicitly, for example, how facilities outsourcing will impact your living arrangements. We'll show you why the press makes so much of vending and retail issues. We'll devote more coverage to varsity teams that haven't received it in the past. And we'll cover the news from every angle, unmasking every perspective. In the same vein, we're going to use our graphics to make our paper more user-friendly. Instead of rehashing the text of a story, our graphics will elucidate main points and possibly enable you to see just why a story's significant on the Penn scene. And since there's much ado about accessibility to information, I wouldn't do my words justice if I left out our World Wide Web site, The Daily Pennsylvanian Interactive. We've had a home on the Web for around three years, offering the complete text of the paper as well as a number of features such as "Career Link" -- a tool that may just help you land that first job. With a new address (http://dailypennsylvanian.com) and a new focus, DPI is starting to play an integral part in increasing accessibility. Over the past several issues, we've used our site to post documents that accompany our stories. In Friday's Web edition, for instance, we posted a complete breakdown of General Fee data -- information you can only find on line. It doesn't end there. Soon, you'll see an improved DPI forum section, a place where you can discuss pressing issues. We're adding a technology area to provide Internet news and to highlight unique sites constructed by people at Penn. Essentially, DPI will supplement our hard copy edition, allowing you to digest the news. Speaking of overhauls, 34th Street magazine, the culture and entertainment arm of the DP, will take on a professional look this year. We'll review music you listen to, we'll have meaty features that focus on topics you find interesting and we'll explore Penn culture -- all with a satirical edge. In other words, we'll make reading Street well worth your while. It goes without saying that we can't succeed in our efforts without your input. I sincerely hope the DP will facilitate communication across the board, but if you don't send in a guest column, give us a call, visit our Web site or send us an e-mail, it makes our job all the more difficult. And it limits your knowledge. So, if you're one of the many people who hate the press, let the DP show you why you're wrong.