Comments on: IS THE QUEEN’S GAZETTE ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION? http://www.geoffsmith.org/blog/wordpress/2009/06/12/is-the-queens-gazette-asking-the-right-question/ Part of the GEOFF SMITH experience! Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:36:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Kevin http://www.geoffsmith.org/blog/wordpress/2009/06/12/is-the-queens-gazette-asking-the-right-question/#comment-30056 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:52:35 +0000 http://www.geoffsmith.org/blog/wordpress/2009/06/12/is-the-queens-gazette-asking-the-right-question/#comment-30056 My experience in media is modest at best. I was a member of the Golden Words masthead a few years ago. As well, I had a housemate who was a staff writer at the Queen's Journal. I used to read copy for her as a way of ofsetting 'too much equations' syndrome. To get an accurate picture of what's really going on on-campus, one has to read all of the campus media while wearing the appropriate eyeglasses. Put on your opaque blinders. I too used to gripe about the Gazette until I really put into perspective. Essentially, the Queen's Gazette is the Fox News of the Queen's media. Everything that appears in the Gazette is for the purpose of the "Queen's Machine." Queen's, like any other money-making entity, is concerned with these little green pieces of paper that make the world go 'round. There's an entire office for this very purpose, the Office of Advancement. I sure wouldn't want to tell donating alumni that once again, Queen's chose the construction company that under-bid and now its massively over-budget. I would spin a story about how the first phase is ready to open and how excited everyone is. While reading Golden Words, put on your giant silly sunglasses. When it comes to the fearlessness, Golden Words takes the take (at least it used to). GW will tell you how campus politics work with a satirical tone. My favourite is the "AMS Report Card" feature at the end of the AMS term. This is one of the best examples investigative journalism on campus. Its unfortunate that this rag isn't read as mostly truth. Put on your AMS "I'm really awake, seriously" glasses when reading the Queen's Journal. For bare-bones facts, the journal is actually pretty good. If I'm going to pick up one paper these days, its going to be the Journal. I do filter what I read through my AMS filter, however. I consider Golden Words to be the outlet for the Engineering Society and the Journal for being the outlet for the AMS. Both barely legitimate groups use their respective papers for different purposes. EngSoc uses it for factual information (dates and times of events). The AMS tends to feed their agendas through it. Fortunately, moslty this isn't the case. Consider that Queen's is still an institution. If you want something done, it had better not be any of: the summer months, Friday afternoon, or a Monday. I've actually taken time off work to deal with faculty-related clerical errors and been met with, "you do realize that it's Friday afternoon, right?" Efficiency and work-ethic have no place in an educational institution. It pains me to say this, but in my experience, its the truth. Its the world of governmental entities and the land of red tape. You can't actually do anything unless 300 executives approve it and you've filled out the appropriate 10 forms. Where is the accountability for any of these administrative units? Any of the faculty societies? The student government? There is none. They should be answering to the students, but there is no body, remunerative or otherwise, to take this on. How would this even be implemented? By more bureaucrats? I think not. My experience in media is modest at best. I was a member of the Golden Words masthead a few years ago. As well, I had a housemate who was a staff writer at the Queen’s Journal. I used to read copy for her as a way of ofsetting ‘too much equations’ syndrome. To get an accurate picture of what’s really going on on-campus, one has to read all of the campus media while wearing the appropriate eyeglasses.

Put on your opaque blinders. I too used to gripe about the Gazette until I really put into perspective. Essentially, the Queen’s Gazette is the Fox News of the Queen’s media. Everything that appears in the Gazette is for the purpose of the “Queen’s Machine.” Queen’s, like any other money-making entity, is concerned with these little green pieces of paper that make the world go ’round. There’s an entire office for this very purpose, the Office of Advancement. I sure wouldn’t want to tell donating alumni that once again, Queen’s chose the construction company that under-bid and now its massively over-budget. I would spin a story about how the first phase is ready to open and how excited everyone is.

While reading Golden Words, put on your giant silly sunglasses. When it comes to the fearlessness, Golden Words takes the take (at least it used to). GW will tell you how campus politics work with a satirical tone. My favourite is the “AMS Report Card” feature at the end of the AMS term. This is one of the best examples investigative journalism on campus. Its unfortunate that this rag isn’t read as mostly truth.

Put on your AMS “I’m really awake, seriously” glasses when reading the Queen’s Journal. For bare-bones facts, the journal is actually pretty good. If I’m going to pick up one paper these days, its going to be the Journal. I do filter what I read through my AMS filter, however. I consider Golden Words to be the outlet for the Engineering Society and the Journal for being the outlet for the AMS. Both barely legitimate groups use their respective papers for different purposes. EngSoc uses it for factual information (dates and times of events). The AMS tends to feed their agendas through it. Fortunately, moslty this isn’t the case.

Consider that Queen’s is still an institution. If you want something done, it had better not be any of: the summer months, Friday afternoon, or a Monday. I’ve actually taken time off work to deal with faculty-related clerical errors and been met with, “you do realize that it’s Friday afternoon, right?” Efficiency and work-ethic have no place in an educational institution. It pains me to say this, but in my experience, its the truth. Its the world of governmental entities and the land of red tape. You can’t actually do anything unless 300 executives approve it and you’ve filled out the appropriate 10 forms.

Where is the accountability for any of these administrative units? Any of the faculty societies? The student government? There is none. They should be answering to the students, but there is no body, remunerative or otherwise, to take this on. How would this even be implemented? By more bureaucrats? I think not.

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