Nikeya Williams
Editor-in-Chief
As I near the end of my leadership as editor-in-chief, I am compelled to discuss the current, seriously flawed system of funding for the Crow’s Nest.
Every year, the Crow’s Nest receives an allocation of student fee money through Student Government. But with each year, our budget continues to be cut. These budget cuts are done, SG tells us, with the hope that the newspaper will become financially independent.
In 2010-2011, SG allocated $22, 855 for the Crow’s Nest budget, a 50 percent reduction from 2009-2010 year, when SG allocated about $45, 315.
The process of drastic budget cuts leaves the Crow’s Nest in a vulnerable and weakened position. How could a paper that would normally operate on a $45, 315 budget become independent solely on advertisements when the bulk of its stability is cut from under it? And if the Crow’s Nest doesn’t have a stable foundation, then how it become independent?
These were some of the questions that my staff and I faced this year. To be honest, when I started my term as editor-in-chief with the budget $22, 855, I didn’t think that the Crow’s Nest would survive as a printed newspaper. But after lobbying with the SG senate, my staff and I were able to secure additional money to print the newspaper until the end of the spring term.
The Crow’s Nest should never be in the position of lobbying to keep in business. Nor should the paper have to change its publication from weekly to bi-weekly, as we were forced to do this year. The Crow’s Nest is an important vehicle that keeps students informed and educated about news that affects the campus community. This is why there should never be drastic budget cuts that interfere with its mission.
The Crow’s Nest needs a stable budget that doesn’t receive yearly budget cuts from SG. Moreover, USFSP administration could create a fixed, dedicated student fee for the paper that isn’t controlled by SG. With such a plan in place, I believe the Crow’s Nest could become independent within about five years.
Adequate funding would allow the Crow’s Nest to become a fully functioning college newspaper, build an advertising department and hire a full-time general manager to oversee the staff and generate advertising income.
If the administration does not agree to create a new, stable way of funding for the paper, the Crow’s Nest will die. That’s the real truth, bottom line.
I have a hard time understanding how the crows nest would possibly need that much money. What kind of massive expenses do you have, besides printing and a couple wages? Also, isn’t a huge part of journalism in the US being independent from government?
SG is doing the right thing by putting CN under pressure. News is a business. Suck it up and start performing like any other newspaper would have to.
Hi Alex,
If you read over my editorial you would have noticed that I’m not asking for a certain amount of money for the Crow’s Nest, but I am making our current funding situation known to the USF SP campus. Moreover, a newspaper is more than couples of wages and printing cost, it’s training ground for future journalist, which means that a newspaper shouldn’t be treated like any other club on the USF SP campus.
Yes, you’re right about newspapers should be independent from the government, and that’s is what my editorial is proposing.
I don’t agree that SG has the right to put pressure on the Crow’s Nest. To be honest, I don’t think that the SG should have power over the Crow’s Nest funds; it’s awkward and weird to have the government control the funding of the press.
Why should SG control the funds of the student newspaper?
Lastly, yes news is business, but if your organization doesn’t have a solid foundation to become independent, then how can you perform like other news organizations?
It still hasnt been made clear, to me at least, what other expenses you’re trying to justify. The way I see it, the USFSP Journalism/Mass Comm. program is the “training ground” you speak of, whereas the CN is a way for students to get involved and get experience.
Also, whether its SG or USF admims who are controlling your funds, they both serve as the “government.” It’s like you can’t get what you want from the state government so you are going to the federal government. It’s not changing the fact that the CN, as with any legit news source, should be financially independent.
I dont deny that it’s a tough challenge youre facing. And honestly the Crows Nest is better quality than its ever been in my 4 years here. But running a paper is a lot more than just writing cool articles. If you want the CN to be a true training ground, step out of the comfort of having funds handed to you and challenge yourself and your team to do it the real way.
I’m not trying to justify any other expenses; I’m simply saying that the Crow’s Nest needs a better funding process.
The Crow’s Nest cannot become independent the way that SG hopes on the budget that receives budget cuts every year, especially if our paper receives another budget cut like it did last year.
The Crow’s Nest should never be put in a position where a budget cut effects our printing process.
I’m only suggesting that administration control our funds or there should a fee set in place for the Crow’s Nest, so that paper can have a stable income. I believe that an organization cannot become independent by cutting the stability from underneath it. Independence comes from stability, and with financial stability the Crow’s Nest advertising department can grow, which means that the paper can become independent.
I’m sure that you already know this, when a paper becomes independent, it’s the advertising sales that support the paper, but if there is isn’t a solid advertising department then the newspaper will eventually die.
I feel that last year’s budget cut was done without planning and thought, and I feel that in the future, if SG decides that they no longer want to fund the paper then the paper would have its “ main” stability cut from underneath it, which will cause for the paper to die.
Yes, running a paper is more than writing “cool” articles, but with our budget cut from last year the Crow’s Nest was forced to report on “ feature news” mostly, since most of the hard news stories would have been “old news” when it printed on our bi-weekly schedule.
Also, the Journalism Department isn’t necessarily “ training” ground the way that you see it. The Journalism Department serves as a “ learning tool” to help journalism students hone their journalism skills, and the Crow’s Nest serves as training ground for the journalism students.
In closing, my concern is about the existence of the Crow’s Nest and my future predecessors.
I want you to realize the Crow’s Nest isn’t only used by journalism students to get experience, but it’s a vehicle that serves the campus, and that’s why I believe our budget should be stable.
I have a hard time understanding how the crows nest would possibly need that much money.
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If you carefully read over my editorial, you have realized that I’m not requesting a certain amount of money for the Crow’s Nest, but I’m opposing the idea to have a better funding process for the Crow’s Nest. The current funding process isn’t giving the Crow’s Nest stability to become independent, it’s crippling the paper.
Moreover, I want to respond to your statement about MCAads.com. The Crow’s Nest problem isn’t that we need someone to advertise for us, but we need to have a solid advertising team to build a stable income, but the only way to build a stable advertising team is to have a stability in Crow’s Nest budget.
If you carefully read over my editorial, you would have realized that I’m not requesting a certain amount of money for the Crow’s Nest, but I’m opposing the idea to have a better funding process for the Crow’s Nest. The current funding process isn’t giving the Crow’s Nest stability to become independent, it’s crippling the paper.
Moreover, I want to respond to your statement about MCAads.com. The Crow’s Nest problem isn’t that we need someone to advertise for us, but we need to have a solid advertising team to build a stable income, but the only way to build a stable advertising team is to have a stable budget.