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The College View

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    #32
    Dublin's Finest
    Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭Dublin's Finest


    ah well. Why then do you get every issue if you find it "laughable"?


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    #33
    Amz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,330 ✭✭✭✭Amz


    See you're misquoting me now. That's not a very good habit for a "journalist" to get into.


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    #34
    Dublin's Finest
    Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭Dublin's Finest


    Didn't answer my question though...


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    #35
    Amz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,330 ✭✭✭✭Amz


    Because your question was based on a misquote.


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    #36
    Dublin's Finest
    Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭Dublin's Finest


    Alright then - why do you read every issue if "the overall standard isn't comparable to some other colleges and unviersities, even ones that don't have a dedicated journalism course, which is quite laughable"??


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    #37
    Amz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,330 ✭✭✭✭Amz


    Is this a problem for you?

    I read every issue in the hope that maybe someday I'll be pleasantly surprised by it.

    It is the only DCU paper available to me. I also like to keep somewhat informed on the other sports teams progress etc.


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    #38
    Dublin's Finest
    Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭Dublin's Finest


    No it's not. I was just curious. Well least it serves the purpose of keeping you up to date on that anyway.

    This is a ridiculous conversation anyway! How long have I been talking about this for!? I'm just happy that we have a paper. It's not perfect but hey. Let's forget about it.

    Ahoy 0-0 France Switzerland!!!


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    #39
    Amz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,330 ✭✭✭✭Amz


    Dublin's Finest wrote:
    No it's not. I was just curious. Well least it serves the purpose of keeping you up to date on that anyway.
    It does to an extent yes, but even still there could quite easily be more!
    This is a ridiculous conversation anyway! How long have I been talking about this for!? I'm just happy that we have a paper. It's not perfect but hey. Let's forget about it.
    That's exactly the kind of attitude that the paper doesn't need!

    Why would anyone want to be associated with it if those involved have a "lets bury our heads in the sand attitude"!


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    #40
    Dublin's Finest
    Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭Dublin's Finest


    Of course it could be more..I'm not debating that fact, there is room for much improvement and hopefully the new editorial team can do their bit.

    As far as I am involved I submit the odd article and then it's up to the editorial team do the rest...that's the structure of it. I don't have a bury the sand attitude...If I had gone for editor I would have tried to ring some changes but it's easier said than done.

    There's no point labouring this one...


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    #41
    segadreamcast
    Registered Users Posts: 2,872 ✭✭✭segadreamcast


    *Sigh* Hoping the above (Dublin's Finest) doesn't do journalism...

    Some good points raised by you though Amz, some which should really be taken into consideration by the editor(s) of this 'news'paper.

    Perhaps you'd consider writing them a letter Amz?


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    #42
    Amz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,330 ✭✭✭✭Amz


    Thanks NoelRock, I would consider writing a letter yes, but I doubt it would make a huge difference.


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    #43
    Dublin's Finest
    Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭Dublin's Finest


    There'll only be one issue under the new team beforenext year so you'd probably be waiting a while...


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    #44
    segadreamcast
    Registered Users Posts: 2,872 ✭✭✭segadreamcast


    Sad but true... :-\. That paper definitely needs a shake-up. I hear the DIT journalism faculty newspaper is quite a bit better too - makes you think...


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    #45
    Dublin's Finest
    Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭Dublin's Finest


    Apparently the UCD one is good. I've never seen it.


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    #46
    Amz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,330 ✭✭✭✭Amz


    Again with the snide remarks and ostrich attitude.


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    #47
    Dublin's Finest
    Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭Dublin's Finest


    :confused: I wasn't being snide. I was just saying that I've been told that it's good.


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    #48
    Amz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,330 ✭✭✭✭Amz


    Well given the context it's quite easy to see how it would be construed as snide.


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    #49
    Dublin's Finest
    Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭Dublin's Finest


    Meh.


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    #50
    katnip
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28 ✭katnip


    Just out of interest, what aspects of the paper do people here find to be sub-standard, for want of a better word? Is it the content, the design, or something else?


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    #51
    Stargal
    Registered Users Posts: 3,626 ✭✭✭Stargal


    Well I started this thread (and then didn't see it for ages) because I thought it was odd that the paper wasn't very well written, edited or laid out. That sounds a bit too harsh so I'll try to explain:

    Firstly a lot of the stories are actually badly written -there's a lack of structure and they don't fully explain or expand on the story they're setting out to report on. The front page story about the swimming pool in the issue last month was a prime example - it was a good story but was made difficult to read by clumsy writing.

    The editing needs to be stricter - it should prioritise reporting and breaking news stories around campus instead of formulaic features that are often irrelevant by the time they're printed (a two page spread on the tsunami on pages 2-3 a month and a half after it happened was an example of that).

    I'll take what DF was saying about only having one computer to lay it out on which must be tough coming up to deadline time. However that's not really an excuse for the layout - the fonts need to be changed as does the banner headline, more pictures (digital camera means no need for scanner! And Google is great for pics!), a break away from the half page cut on most pages - this is all simple stuff that would make a big difference.

    And I've written for the two papers in my college and money was a serious issue in both of them - in the bigger picture maybe the paper should look for its funding from another area of college, but otherwise you just need to constantly be on the lookout for sponsorship to keep it going.

    Hope this doesn't come across as a tirade or something, just trying to be honest about what I think is wrong with the paper at the moment. Have a look at some other college papers, cos they're all operating on different budgets, some with loads of writers and some with just a couple, and you get a great idea of the variety of standard of talent and ability


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    #52
    Dublin's Finest
    Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭Dublin's Finest


    The last issue of the old editorial team was out yesterday.The layout is better than the last few issues.


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    #53
    thefuturehead
    Closed Accounts Posts: 91 ✭✭thefuturehead


    - I've seen the DIT, UCD and Maynooth papers. The UCD one looks great, but I honestly don't think the content is that much superior to the College View. However a good layout can boost the appearance of the copy a great deal, so maybe this has something to do with the reaction to it. I think if the CV looked better, there might be a more positive response to it. The DIT paper stuck me as not being at the same standard as the CV. Admittedly I'm biased, but that's my honest opinion, and I'm not going to pretend the CV is brilliant. It's not. The Maynooth paper seemed far more tongue in cheek, which I think worked well. But again, if you're looking for a serious college paper, it had its weaknesses too.

    - Just because we have a journalism course doesn't mean we'll be producing a quality newspaper. Journalism is the sort of course people drift into because they think they might like it(in some cases anyway)...often these people have no idea of how reporting works on a practical basis (ie who to call for quotes, how to structure stories, how not to miss a bloody deadline)...

    - plus, people have to want to write stuff, and often people can't be arsed. it's shocking i know, but supposed journalists in training can't be arsed to write a 300 word piece, so it ends up with someone who has **** all experience of writing a piece...hence the bad reporting.

    - layout needs a big shake up though. at the mo it's a journo with probably no layout experience who designs the paper. it needs to be a multimedia student or something like that i figure.

    - as well as that, the nature of the beast is that people see it as a means of gaining experience. so if they go for one editorial position and don't get it, they just go for another one, whether they've much interest or accumen in that particular task. that leads to bad editing, which doesn't help bad writing.

    - and finally...if you're an ed, there's the constant worry that if you tell someone their copy is crap, they won't send you anything again. if that happens enough times, there's no paper. that's the worry. again, a factor that could be avoided and could lead to better quality paper, but it's a bit of a catch 22.

    this is such a rant. i'll stop now...


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    #54
    katnip
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28 ✭katnip


    stargal wrote:
    The editing needs to be stricter - it should prioritise reporting and breaking news stories around campus instead of formulaic features that are often irrelevant by the time they're printed (a two page spread on the tsunami on pages 2-3 a month and a half after it happened was an example of that).

    I have to disagree. As it is a monthly paper it limits itself in the amount of breaking, up-to-the-minute stories it can run. As such it makes more logical sense to have features.

    Speaking of which, 3 of the feature's categories at this year's smedias had dcu students shortlisted, winning in both the Arts/Review and Travel sections.
    They'd hardly be winning national awards if they're writing 'formulaic' pieces.


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    #55
    thefuturehead
    Closed Accounts Posts: 91 ✭✭thefuturehead


    three categories isn't much to shout about really, is it?

    and features are fine, but they should be more topical. the CV news should be treated like a sunday paper as i see it. features that are outside the boundaries of what a daily might cover, but still remain relevant. let's face it, the tsunami (as shocking and terrible as it was) wouldn't have gotten that much coverage in any other paper.

    a bloke in shorts just walked past the lab. bloody summer ball, eh?


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    #56
    segadreamcast
    Registered Users Posts: 2,872 ✭✭✭segadreamcast


    Three nominations is a pathetic failure, especially when you consider that DCU endeavours to teach the subject of journalism.

    Let's compare this to Trinity College, who don't engage in any form of journalism course, yet manage to produce a consistently good newspaper which (deservedly!) cleaned up at the smedias awards.

    This paper needs to be seriously kicked into shape by somebody...


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