By Breana Staten, Opinion Editor
Getting people to boldly share their opinions can be difficult, especially when these opinions are printed and published for the entirety of campus to read. As the opinion editor for the Collegian, I deal firsthand with not only publicly sharing my own opinion on various topics but also finding those willing enough to share their voices on oftentimes controversial topics.
So when I heard that the Collegian would be switching to publishing articles weekly instead of biweekly, I was a little concerned because this would mean more content and the need for more writers. But at the end of the day, the changes made have been a good experience and haven’t caused too much stress.
Along with the increased frequency of published Collegian issues, there have also been some other changes that have helped supplement the frequency of Collegian distribution.
These changes have been encouraged by Richard Manieri, the faculty advisor of the Collegian, who often emphasizes that while the Collegian is a student-run newspaper, he wants it to act as a fully functioning newspaper that happens to be run by students.
“I think it gives students a more realistic experience of what it’s like to work for a newspaper that publishes weekly,” said Manieri. “The deadlines are obviously tighter, and it gets student reporters used to writing on a deadline.”
When papers were produced biweekly, the Collegian staff essentially had a week off to regroup and figure out new content ideas, whereas now we don’t get that break. As a result, some of my writers do not always have the time to commit to writing an article every week.
As a journalism major with hopes of one day working in this industry, I saw this change as an opportunity to further build my portfolio and receive a more realistic feel for what it means to work in an industry that relies heavily on deadlines.
Also, by being distributed every week, the content is going to be more relevant because writers can now address topics and events in a timelier manner.
In addition to moving to weekly distribution schedule, contributing writers now get paid $15 instead of $10 per article. “Frankly, we wanted to inspire higher levels of contribution,” said Manieri. “And if it takes a little more money, now it’s not much, but if a little more money is a little more incentive for people to continue, then it’s a worthwhile step to take.”
“[This] shows that Asbury values its student writers and honors the work they put in to make the Collegian happen,” said Courtney Cox, contributing writer.
“I think it’s better for everyone all around,” said Manieri. “It’s better for the students not involved with the paper, and it’s better for the students involved in publishing the newspaper.”
Though the changes to the Collegian this semester have been positive, the downsides primarily affect the Collegian staff and contributing writers who now have a little less free time and a little more stress.
