LETTITOR |

  
 
   
  
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  

visiting representative of the Kwantlen Students’
Association, asked me whether or not our scandal
coverage sucked because the OP was part of some
high-level conspiracy. With a straight face, she
asked whether or not my paper had deliberately
suppressed coverage of the scandal because we
had some sort of “deal” worked out with Joey
Hansen, the embattled central figure of the whole
crisis. Apparently this is actually rumour going
around in some circles.
I laughed, because it was so absurd to hear.
But also a sad commentary on the OP. When
you fail so badly entire conspiracy theories are
cobbled together to explain your conduct, you
know you ve done something wrong.
The real explanation for our poor coverage is
far less glamorous. In those days, many of us at
the Other Press were simply not terribly interested
or knowledgeable about student politics, and even
less motivated to learn. Oh sure, we churned out
the occasional article here and there, but there was
no strong leadership on the story, and we certainly
did not treat the matter as the priority we should
have. The scandal required attention, research, and
dedication, and though we all had these qualities
in abundance for matters that interested us
personally, the boring, distant DSU was stuck with
the short end of the reportage stick.

I mention all this not out of bitterness or spite.
I’m certainly not proud of what happened, and
should I ever be called up to testify, 1 might even

The Other Press has disappointed in the last two point a finger or two. But ultimately, I bring

 

 

 

   

{), of the most remarkable things about
being a journalist is the fact that you exist

 

simultaneously as both a creature of the present and

the past. On the one hand you’re a man constantly
reporting on the trends and events of today,
distilling valuable information to the readers of the
here and now. But on the other hand, you’re also
an archivist and historian, and the words you write
today will soon belong to the ages. Weeks, months,
and years pass, and your once up-to-the-minute
articles decay into dated relics of a long forgotten
time.

I’m a bit of an amateur historian myself, so I
like to occasionally read the Other Press archives
and the archives of the good old Peak up at SFU.
When one seeks to unravel the sordid history of
BC’s student movement, student newspapers rarely
disappoint.

years, however. From May of 2005 to January of
2007 the Douglas College Student Union was in
the throngs of a hugely significant and destructive
financial scandal —a scandal that would eventually
garner coverage in all major BC news outlets and
even the occasional magazine or newspaper in
some other province, too. If student unions are
ever abolished in British Columbia, or otherwise
fall victim to some manner of harsh government-
led restructuring, it will be in no small part due to
the shenanigans that transpired at Douglas in that .
period.

I will readily admit that during that period
of time we, as the student newspaper, did not
give the scandal anywhere near the coverage it
deserved. I’m sad to say this fact has now become
something of an open secret among politically-
minded students. Last week, for instance, I was
at a DSU board meeting and Laura Anderson, a —

  

this up out of a sense of historical obligation.
Students who were around in those days deserve
an explanation of why they were learning more
about their school affairs from Global News than
the local paper, and so do future generations who
might someday naively try to use the Other Press
as reference when the time comes to write the
official story of the scandal.

The Other Press has always been a tremendous
newspaper, and I honestly believe it’s one of the
finest student publications anywhere. Yet when it
came to covering the one matter we should have
done best—an on-campus scandal —we failed, and
I apologize on the paper’s behalf.

We’ ve learned from this history, which
hopefully makes us less doomed to repeat it.

J.J. McCullough
Editor-in-Chief of the Other Press

 

Corrections

latter.

sources.

 

Student politics can be confusing, especially when names and dates are
involved. In the two previous issues, I made two errors in regards to the

In the September 27 issue I wrongly wrote that Marne Jensen, the DSU
receiver-manager, was appointed in January of 2006. The correct date
was January of 2007. I made the same mistake in the October 4 issue
when I referred to her being appointed in September of 2007. Future
generations, this is why you must always double-check your primary