A lot of people hate the Daily Bruin ““ I know because I
used to be one of them.
News has a way of making people angry. Sometimes it should make
people angry. There is nothing wrong with being outraged by reports
of corruption and injustice.
A 1961 Chicago Tribune editorial said the press has a duty to
“raise hell.” The Tribune might have overstated its
point, but the fact remains that the press cannot ignore
controversy.
Before I became a news writer, I thought The Bruin was a perfect
example of a biased paper. Maybe I’ve just been co-opted by
the Kerckhoff 118 student media cabal, but I see things differently
now.
I’m not saying The Bruin is flawless; we can always do
better. I just hope to convince a few Bruin-haters that we’re
doing the best we can.
I can relate to the Bruin-skeptic. I admit that the first time
my editor asked me if a story was balanced I was a little
surprised, but that faded quickly.
Over the past year, we’ve had a lot to report; student fee
hikes, affirmative action bake sales, and the campus’
reaction to war in Iraq. Stories like these can and should get
people fired up, and the fact that we get angry letters from all
across the political spectrum shows our coverage can inform and
offend just about the entire campus.
But what people may not know is that these issues are
controversial inside Kerckhoff 118, not just on Bruin Walk. Despite
our reputation as card-carrying members of the liberal media, there
are moderates and even conservatives on staff ““ they
don’t all go to Claremont ““ and there’s no policy
that demands writers agree with the editorial board.
What unites The Bruin isn’t ideology, or even a college
media conspiracy to get candidates elected to student government.
This might sound naive and idealistic, and maybe it is, but what
gets news writers into our windowless office day after day is the
thrill of finding out what people at UCLA need to know ““ and
getting the word out.
That’s pretty much it. Perhaps most students
wouldn’t put midterms and parties on hold to make deadline on
a student housing story, or miss weeks of class to cover the news
in other cities, but we do.
As for myself, my only regret regarding The Bruin is that I
joined so late in my UCLA career.
My year at The Bruin did more than change this disaffected
college student into a jaded college journalist ““ it gave me
a chance to see how the world works in ways that no political
science or history lecture can.
I’ve had the chance to see how the university works, meet
the people who run it, spend an evening caught between riot police
and shouting protesters, and interview a U.S. senator, a Chinese
delegation, and Johnny Cochran.
I talked to Buzz Aldrin once too, but didn’t get a good
quote.
If you think The Bruin is just a free crossword puzzle, I dare
you to sit down and read an issue. Give The Bruin a try. I dare
you.
Edwards was a Daily Bruin News staff writer.