CAROLYN CRIST

Help The R&B serve you by sending over news tips

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Posted: 9/2/08

I was brushing my teeth last Saturday when what I heard made me want to spit out my toothpaste.

Vice presidential hopeful Joe Biden has a cat.

I wasn't offended because of some allergy or because of a superstitious distrust for the feline world. It was because the statement that followed that made me want to start brushing my teeth even harder.

Barack Obama has a dog.

It's not that I have a distaste for canines, either. In fact, I have a furry, faithful one of my own. No, it was more the combination of those two that upset me before I had my breakfast that morning.

The insinuation made by MSNBC while dwelling on those two statements (for 10 minutes more than necessary) was that bases were covered for dog-lovers and cat-owners alike.

But I should hardly be surprised, right?

With the ever-changing, never-ending news cycle, 24-hour news stations and Web sites have to find something new to discuss around the clock. Too bad it boils down to what pets the presidential candidates prefer.

My real point is the news market often becomes oversaturated with the same coverage, and at some point it becomes ridiculous.

How long have we been following this race in excruciating detail just to hear the presidency could be determined by those who are a bit too devoted to the furry extension of their family?

Now, I realize the story was probably a more playful take on the election used to ease viewers into Saturday morning coverage, but it does bring a few questions to my mind.

What is news? How much is too much?

There's not much I can do to influence what MSNBC decides is newsworthy on a Saturday morning, but I do know the voiceless on campus deserve a say in what they read Tuesday morning before working on the crossword puzzle in a 300-person biology class.

What's the news on campus? What's really important? I must know. As news editor this fall at The Red & Black, I've been trying to decide how to advance coverage of the campus.

Semester after semester, we strive to expand our reach to South Campus, focus on people, profile research and extend a hand to the Greek community, but time after time we fall short.

The basic realization is this: We can't cover the news if we don't know it. And it's harder to find news than you think. We know it's our job to figure out what's going on in the University community and tell you about it, but sometimes classes, homework and other jobs take away that extra time we need to dig really deep.

You'd be surprised what a little tip can do to help us. Remember the sexual harassment series we did last semester that sparked so much discussion? That came from one phone call. Think of the various profiles we include of clubs, meetings, students and professors. Those are often from e-mails we receive.

Lend me a hand this semester. Send along a few story ideas. There's no telling what's newsworthy in your life.

If you have any tip, feel free to e-mail it to me at ccrist@randb.com or call up here at 706-433-3037. I can't wait to hear from you.

- Carolyn Crist is the news editor for The Red & Black trying to figure out what new angle to find on campus.