A writer from the St. Petersburg Times contacted me about the way people at UT use JuicyCampus.com and I had, until that point, barely even looked at the site.
I began to read through the gossip site’s UT page. There were accusations of a girl falling through a door, a discussion about the best sorority on campus, questions about hazing, some nasty comments about varoius people, and, my favorite, comments about The Minaret.
I loved it. It cracked me up. As I read through them, I realized something important: this is like gambling, and it should be used for entertainment. When it becomes a source of news, just like when gambling becomes a source of income, it has gone too far.
Freedom of speech is essential in a free civilization. If your words are stifled, then your opinion is solely your own and cannot be spread among the people.
People are going to post stupid things on JuicyCampus. It’s inevitable. They will be nasty. They will be mean. They will post lies and people will think they are true. But, people will also air serious concerns and many true statements will be placed on the Web site.
Just like when a recreational gambler starts taking high interest loans, or loses the family car to a casino, people who read JuicyCampus as a source of news are going to fail. When you believe everything you read, you fall into a trap of misinformation and lies.
Take it all with a grain (or glass) of salt. I don’t think that JuicyCampus will ever be a competitor with The Minaret, but it makes a nice complement: We are the news, they are the gossip.
Re: the comments about The Minaret:
Too funny. “The Minaret is absolutely a trash newspaper.” “it is the most overrated paper in the history of all school newspapers. the writers believe that they are actually good. Read the minaret if you want to see how not to write!!!!” Hilarious stuff.
I really don’t care if people feel that way. I encourage them to if they really hate us. No one in the public eye is loved by everyone.
Some brave cat came to our defense and suggested that people who are angry write the editor. As the editor, I paid special attention to the replies posted there.
And the comedy got better.
“unfortunately i know the editor and far too many people
that write for the piece of s— and i know that
whatever i say will not be published or even considered
because they dont want anyone to tell the truth about
the gossip column of a paper.”
I really can’t think of anyone that I know who would actually write this. If it is someone I know, then they don’t know me at all.
I’m not some censoring jerk who only promotes his own interests. If you have something to say, for the love of God, send it in. I would love to read it. We have an obligation to the truth and the news, and if you submit something that is based in truth and not libelous, you can bet we’ll print it. A long-winded rant filled with mistruths about how much you hate The Minaret probably won’t make it, because it serves no purpose. We have a history of printing anti-Minaret letters to the editor, so don’t count it out.
Please, please, please, if you hate us, let us know. Don’t post it anonymously on some gossip Web site. I like my hate mail delivered to my inbox; I don’t like to work to find it.
One last comment on the Minaret thread that caught my attention: “to me the minaret is no different than a gossip column that tries to print slander all over our campus.”
A) The Minaret is a newspaper. Not a column.
B) Slander is spoken. Libel is printed. Why can no one get this straight?
C) Did you post this on a gossip site about how another group is gossip-only? Really?
I bet some of these people are the same ones who say ATM Machine and PIN Number. For the record: An ATM Machine is a machine that makes Automated Teller Machines and a PIN Number is a number that organizes Personal Identification Numbers.
And I’m glad someone uses The Minaret to line their bunny cage. At least we’re getting recycled.
P.S. In the interest of not letting work (Minaret) interfere with play (JuicyCampus) I will remain an observer only. I get enough entertainment reading that I don’t need to post.
– Peter Arrabal, editor-in-chief
1 Comment
January 17, 2009 at 10:25 pm
i hate reading!!!!!!!!