Fact is Stranger Than Fiction

Most recently, in this news release from BYU announcing that the Daily Universe "was awarded second place in the annual Newspaper of the Year competition held at the National College Newspaper Convention in Las Vegas." Could this simply be a clever spoof by the normally straight-shooting Universe? Or perhaps the secular collegiate judges were just so smashed from a weekend of partying in Las Vegas that they didn't know what they were doing?

I will offer my congratulations to the Daily Universe editors and staff, on the theory that the Universe really is the second-best college paper in America. Next I'll go check my food storage, then get started on the Family Ark, as this is a pretty clear signal that The End Is Near. It's been a little chilly in California this week--maybe Hell is freezing over, too.

Comments

[danithew]

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. (shiver!)

[JL]

Those of us who didn't go to BYU are missing the punch-line. I take it the BYU paper is or was a joke? How about some examples?

[Dave]

The BYU student paper is like any other college newspaper on general reporting, and possibly better, as suggested by the award.

The difference comes for reporting on campus issues. Most college newspapers adopt an "investigative reporter" approach and often question administration action or investigage improprieties on campus. The Universe adopts the opposite tack by never questioning what the administration does and (of course) treating any LDS issue with kid gloves. For example, for several years (and possibly even still) any reference to the Book of Mormon in the Universe printed "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ," after the Church upgraded the name of that book of scripture.

[lyle]

And of course (start sarcasm) as Dave points out, anything that the Church asks for should be ignored w/o consideration so as to ensure that the university paper is considered credible in the eyes of the world & not just a lap-dog. (end sarcasm).

For those that don't just slam BYU/Provo/Utah anychance they get & have actually looked at how the Daily Universe integrated with KBYU & built a consolidated newsroom & made advances in using tech before other papers, etc... (and no, I never wrote for the Universe): The DU has been earning awards on a regular basis. Frankly, it has more real news that so-called "investigative" reporting in anycase.