Re: The Oct. 1, 2009 issue of The Uniter

My friend Stacy and I have recently read your latest issue and I can say, without a doubt, that the quality of the paper has sharply declined during the summer and fall issues. There are many problems with your newspaper and they should be addressed immediately or else you will lose trust in the majority of your readership.

While I thought your news section in last week’s issue was overall decent, I am still bothered by the apparent bias in the article about Greg Selinger (“The only game in town,” page 5). Throughout the article, there are quotes that praise him and there is also no mention of the other NDP leadership candidate, Steve Ashton.

If you are to cover the leadership campaign of a political party, make sure that you give a fair reportage and do not endorse any one of the candidates over the others.

Your political commentary is also biased. There needs to be some coverage given to all major parties and political sides, not just the left.

Another thing is your lack of coverage of rural Manitoba. Your slogan is the “University of Winnipeg’s Weekly Urban Journal,” but you must realize that downtown Winnipeg is not the entire world. You must deal with concerns outside Winnipeg, because it may concern the number of students who live outside the city. Your paper will be much better served if you implement such changes.

In your comments section, I am struck by a glaring absence of any letters to the editor. I am not sure if there is such a disinterest in your newspaper that no one is writing in to voice their opinion, or if people are voicing their opinions and you refuse to make it known because of your own beliefs.

Either way, it does not surprise me. From what I hear, the writers of The Uniter are mostly liberal arts majors who only report on their interests, not the interests of the student body.

However, one of the most appalling features of your newspaper is the amount of pages given to the arts section, while sports do not have its own section. A bit more than half your paper is given to arts while the only sports article was a brief 250-word profile about a Wesmen basketball player.

Meanwhile, two very obscure and probably talentless bands known as Apostle of Hustle and Shrimp each get half a page. I do not think that the majority of the student body cares that an all-girl punk band only known within 10 blocks are breaking up. There are people who like to read about sports (not nutrition!) and sports have been a proud tradition at the U of W for years.

If a budding high school athlete reads this paper and then decides not to play for the Wesmen, then the loss of a good talent is your responsibility. Next year, the Winter Olympics will be on Canadian soil and the World Cup of soccer is happening too. For The Uniter not to have a record of these events is a shame.

In conclusion, your newspaper needs to make changes or else students will not read this publication. The Uniter needs to stop being a hipster magazine and start being a serious journal that is newsworthy.

A disillusioned reader,
Candace Flynn

P.S. The Bob: The Suicidal Penguin comics and Good and Evil with J. Williamez are not funny.

Editor’s note: If you do not see any letters in The Uniter, it is because none have been sent to us. We try our best to publish every letter we receive. Send your thoughts to [email protected], or drop something off at our office: Room ORM14 in the Bulman mezzanine on campus at the University of Winnipeg.

Just be sure to include your full name and contact information. Also, as noted on page 2 of every issue, The Uniter reserves the right to refuse to print submitted material. The Uniter will not print submissions that are homophobic, misogynistic, racist or libelous. We also reserve the right to edit for length and/or style.

Finally, while there may not always be letters in the print version of The Uniter, many people comment on articles on our website. Join the discussion at www.uniter.ca. Recent comments can be seen roughly half-way down on the right-hand side of the main page.

– Candace Flynn

Published in Volume 64, Number 7 of The Uniter (October 15, 2009)