I had intended to issue a ringing endorsement this morning of the Northeastern Patriot’s right to publish. But I can’t. You see, when I investigated the Patriot on the Web, I learned that the production manager’s Facebook photo is of a license plate that reads “RDSXSUX.” Worse, the plateholder is emblazoned with “New York Yankees.” I mean, there are limits.
But seriously. The Patriot is a new conservative newspaper on campus. I haven’t seen a copy, since it ran into distribution problems earlier this week. But judging from coverage in the Northeastern News and the Boston Globe, it sounds like the problem isn’t its content, but, rather, the fact that the students who put it together put the Northeastern brand in its title without going through the proper channels. Apparently they don’t even have to do that if they simply drop “Northeastern” from the name.
An example would be Boston University’s student paper, which is known simply as the Daily Free Press. Beneath the nameplate appears this: “The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University.” Problem solved — and a censorship controversy avoided.
Disclosure: If you don’t know already, read my bio under “About the blogger,” in the upper-right corner of this page.
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Steve
But if they take the word “Northeastern” out of their name, the university won’t complain about them, so they won’t be able to whine “CENSORSHIP!”And we all know how much conservatives like to whine these days.
sco
I especially like how the newspaper is billed as not for people who are “narrow minded” yet they call people they disagree with “nazis”. Very classy.Here’s a question, though. The name of the university is a word in common usage. How can they control who uses the word “Northeastern”? Is it because the students are by definition affiliated with the University? Could they stop me, someone with no relationship to the University, from starting a “Northeastern Patriot” newspaper? I live in the Northeast, after all.
Dan Kennedy
Sco — You raise a good point, and I don’t know the answer to it. I think it depends on how it’s presented, and as I said, I haven’t had a chance to see it yet. I raised the Daily Free Press as an analogy, because the students at BU went through exactly the same thing. I don’t think there would be anything to prevent the NU students from calling it “The Patriot,” and then including something about serving the students of Northeastern University.
metallicaMobes
well, as Editor of the Patriot, maybe I should address a few of the accusations being flown my direction. First of all, sco, if you read the paper instead of scanning it looking for points of attack, you would have seen that we are not calling anyone “Peace Nazis,” it is in fact a direct quotation from Sgt. Jim Bancroft USMC (retired). We used that in the title because it jumps out (obviously). The paper clearly is not a high-brow stuffy political masterpiece, it is a semi-satirical college paper aimed at sparking interest in political thought, and bringing closet conservatives out of the woodwork. Clearly, no one on campus would read the Patriot if we put out highly refined and overly sophisticated pulitzeresque material. Instead, we poke fun at the Deaniacs, present controversial and somewhat humorous material that we think college kids can relate to. And as far as us “whining about CENSORSHIP,” with all due respect, that’s a big load. We have been treated quite well by the University, and appreciate their open-minded attitude that they have approaches us with. They have been more than generous, and not tried to shut us down or silence us in the least bit. Nor have we moaned about not being allowed to spread our message because of censorship.Liberals whine just as much as conservatives. Let’s not kid ourselves here. No one’s ever satisfied, but at least we’re making an effort to organize our voices into some coherent and college-relevant (ableit light-hearted) publication, instead of making pot-shots on blogs. I encourage you to directly contact me with your comments about my newspaper at theNUPatriot@gmail.comYours,Dave MobergP.S. DK, thanks for your comments, I hope to give you a copy soon.
Steve
Dave -In the article I read things like “It seems that they have problems because they are publishing viewpoints that are not popular on campus,” said Mike Hiestand, an attorney for the Arlington, Va.- based Student Press Law Center, a national advocacy group for student journalists.””Conservative newspapers are sometimes met with resistance from more liberal students and administrators, who ask them to stop distributing the publications on campus, said Stephen M. Klugewicz, executive director of the Collegiate Network.”And you are quoted as saying ‘I just hope the university isn’t doing this because of the viewpoints we represented”.Sounds like whining to me.
Rick in Duxbury
Nice work, Steve. By responding in the blog rather than to Dave Moberg directly as he suggested, you have shown us all exactly who the “whiner” is.
Anonymous
“The paper clearly is not a high-brow stuffy political masterpiece, it is a semi-satirical college paper aimed at sparking interest in political thought, and bringing closet conservatives out of the woodwork.”BS.This is another little PR action by these spoiled rich kids who want attention. “There are so many liberal this and that, so let’s stick out like a sore thumb and say we are “conservative.” so we can get more attention and get more face time on TV and radio so that when we graduate, we have our channels set with Ailes and Co and other “conservative” outlets.”This is a feable self-serving act. Mr Moberg, you wouldn’t know Conservatism if it hit on the head. You mean to say you are a Republican mouthpiece and “defender” right???Don’t bismirch Copnservatism by associating your rag to principles that are mostly ignored today. Use your NU access to read up more on Eisenhower and Goldwater and Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt or Reagan speeches from the Sixties and many other great speeches and books before you kiss up to what you know nothing about.When are you going to publish quotes by the six dissenting conservative -with Republican voting records- generals on the your front page, Dave?? Or are they not up to your standards???N.
metallicaMobes
N.,A spoiled rich kid I am not. And as far as my post-graduate plans go, my life doesn’t involve me wearing $4,000 tailored suits with bigwigs at Enron while sipping fine wine and running the corporate world from the throne of hand-me-down Bush styled supremacy. Rather, it involves me wearing the uniform as a commissioned 2nd Lt. in the USMC, where I will bust my ass and be glad to lay down my life for self-righteous and haughty pseudo know-it-alls as yourself. How dare you impugn my integrity while hiding behind the convenient shroud of anonymity? You think I’m doing this out of selfish motives? You think I’m a “Republican mouthpiece”? Perhaps before making baseless character attacks on me, you should do your research on who I am, and what I believe. And as far as your darling “6 conservative ex-generals” go, perhaps you are unaware of the fact that they make up 0.13% of the current number of retired military officers, and that they all served under Clinton? Or the fact that it is highly inappropriate for former officers to give political diatribes without formally enrolling in a political party- Murtha had the integrity to do so. More importantly, whoever said that I support Donald Rumsfeld? Whoever said that I’m a fan of George W. Bush? As far as I’m concerned the Neo-Con is the worst thing to ever happen to the conservative movement, and you’ll note that I am against nation building (Patriot page 6- Nation Building: Not worth the blood, not worth the price) The problem with people like you is that you assume that all conservatives support Bush and are cookie-cutter Fox News watching, Rush Limbaugh bloviating, party-line Republicans. WRONG. If you think that, then maybe YOU should go back and brush up on your paleo-conservative knowledge. Try reading up on Edmund Burke, John Randolph, John Adams, to some extent Tocqueville, and up to Russell Kirk and Patrick Buchanan. Then come talk to me about how I wouldn’t know Conservatism if it hit me on the head. Or perhaps your ego-trip liberalism has been orbiting around your gigantic head for too long for you to come back down from your high horse to do so.And Steve, the Globe took that comment a tad bit out of its proper context. My full statement during that sentence was more to the effect of, “The media board did in fact contact me about the Patriot and its affiliation with the university, hopefully the university isn’t doing…” Although the whole quote wasn’t put in, I’m still happy with the way I was represented in the article, however.I hope that clears things up.Yours,Dave MobergEditor in Chiefmoberg.d@neu.edutheNUPatriot@gmail.com
MeTheSheeple
Wow, this thread got Godwin’d quickly. About the only thing still missing is “(Conservatives | Liberals) like to eat puppies.”I haven’t seen a copy of the paper yet, but I look forward to it.Dave, one suggestion, if I might: Try not to be particularly enthusiastic about laying down your life for your country. The goal is to make the _other_ guy do it, if it comes down to that.
Anonymous
http://metallicamobes.blogspot.com/Here's the boss’s blog. Judge fer yerselves.Also, Mobes? Michael Savage isn’t a conservative. He’s a fucking lunatic who once was a patent medicine salesman and has now found new poison to peddle. Pass it on, and take his “books” off your profile, if you want to be taken seriously.
metallicaMobes
Way to say even less in your feeble attempts to discredit me.Big man. Have a good one.
Anonymous
Moberg – i thought you were a sad piece of work after that Globe story. Now I can see you’e just a joke.
Anonymous
zI wish I had seen his reply earlier, I would have had more entertainment in the last couple of days. This moberg is a true looney.Hey…Mo, if you are awake from your frat boy drunken weekend -it sounds like you are perpetually in a drunken stupor- I have a couple of quick things for you.First, you have to let go of that ” How dare you” crap. Do you want to be in the media and First amendment business or do you want to be in McCarthysm Revived, smear partisan persecutory little dirty tactics?If you are going to be in the media, you have to a- allow others their say and b- respond reasonably and not castigate others for differing with you as an easy out.You can use your “how dare you” cheap tack but don’t say you are a journalist or honest citizen then.Second, the success of American judicial, democratic and diplomatic experiences is largely based on the impartiality of law enforcement and defense forces. That’s why we are not a dictatorship that uses uniforms to herd the flock and intimidate. So we need honest fair and upright people, democrat or republican or independent or atheist or budhist or whatever, to put their ideology aside and beliefs, protect all and enforce laws and the Constitution.The trend however is for some partisan hacks to flock towards government and uniform ranks and beat the rest with peptalk over the head to intimidate and shut them up.There are many great Americans that serve the country in many capacities, that are fair, dedicated and extremely honest. Most are unheralded and take a paycut working for the Gov, probably risking their lives too. Tons of those are around working in silence.But the little ignorant partisan hacks-in-the-making like you is the danger to those insitituions. You bring a whole smelly arrogance and agenda to it and you are the antithesis of what a US serviceman or governemnt employee should be or traditionally has been.You are no more than a little self-serving opportunist that wants to go into the ranks solely so you can parrot that over-used line of ” I risk my life so you can open your mouth” or other variations of it.That is populism at its worst. It shows you listen to too much talk radio and buy into much of it.I thought you were a little braindead fool before. I think worse now after your response. Your disrespect for decorated generals is a scary sign. What would you do, Private Dave if you disagree with your superior when he doesn’t tow your GOP line? would you turn on him like you did on this post?It is absolutely true that a lot of people who go into service are not thanked enough nor recognized enough. But so they choose often. They don’t want the glory. They just want to do their duty and return to normal life. It is the partisan-conflict-hungry, self-serving ignorant arrogants like you who gives them a bad name.N.
metallicaMobes
Mr. N,I will give you this, I probably should’ve waited a few hours before firing off the angry response, but hell, every good journalist makes his mistakes- and I’m not even a journalist, poly sci major =pHowever, other than the one angry line, I’m still sticking to my guns here. There’s really no basis for you to make your character assesments on me, i.e. I’m a rich spoiled kid in it for my own glory and limelight. What makes you think that, I don’t know, nor do I really care. You go ahead and think what you want about me and my motives. I won’t lose any sleep over it. I want to serve my country so I can use one-liners, sure. I want to start a newspaper so I can have a padded resume- ok. I am a partisan hack in the making- why not.It’s clearly useless to keep taking shots at each other over a comment section in a blog. You aren’t addressing any of your ad hominem attacks, and I am not convincing you that I’m not a son of priveledge sipping on champagne with my opportunistic fake war heroes. Whatever.If you want to engage in any sort of dialogue, fine. You know where to reach me.