With the recall saga finally over and the results of the ASUC general elections coming out tomorrow, the university news team would like to take a moment to reflect on this semester’s ASUC elections coverage.

The General Elections

During the ASUC General Elections, we often faced questions as to how to provide in-depth coverage of the candidates while still providing enough background information for new freshman and transfers experiencing their first elections seasons. The issue of including joke candidates in articles about ASUC Executive Offices also posed issues—should we even cover a candidate whose major platform is building a fence? Or do we owe it to our readers to provide equal coverage of all candidates listed on the ballot?

This year we tried to focus our profiles of candidates around issues pivotal to that office, while making mention of their other platforms as well. However, we are still unsure of whether this is in fact the best policy—as it sometimes kept us from focusing on issues that greatly differentiate candidates. (Click here to read more…)

There are several reasons that a newspaper might undertake the grueling task of a redesign. Some see it as a way to increase readership, others view it as an opportunity to introduce new features, and some are just sick and tired of looking at the same elements everyday. Perhaps one of the more important reasons is to create a design that not only meets the needs of individual sections, but helps the reader better navigate the paper.

When a paper makes the decision to undergo a redesign, often one of their first moves is to invest a chunk of money to conduct research to see what their readers are looking when they pick up the paper. They take this information and begin to create a new layout that attempts to meet both the readers needs and the needs of the section editors.

Unfortunately, the Daily Californian does not have the funds to hire a consulting firm to find out what visually entices our readers. Every department of the paper values input from the readers, even the design department. If you have any ideas about what you would like to see in the Daily Californian as we take steps to begin a redesign please send them to design@dailycal.org.

Even if it’s a simple complaint of the type being too small to read or you don’t like a certain font let us know. You might see the changes you suggested when the redesign is finished.

Editors at the Daily Cal constantly give feedback to each other, but not surprisingly, some of the best feedback comes from our readers through comments and e-mails. Readers are not only unconditionally honest; they also provide an “outside” perspective to the organization. They can question practices so ingrained in our minds that we don’t think about them actively all the time.

One of the more interesting comments left in the arts & entertainment section was on an article by writer Matthew Peters about a local exhibit by Napa Valley artist Valerie Raven:

I’m shocked that you’ve stopped exclusively trying to be a fifth-rate Entertainment Weekly by covering mainstream movies and albums … [and] report on the one thing which you are maaaaybe qualified to talk about, Berkeley’s scene. And what do you do? Shit on a local artist? Give me a break!!

This excerpt of this anonymous comment points to questions all college newspapers and smaller publications face: Why cover mainstream releases when so many well-known outlets already cover them? Shouldn’t smaller papers focus on the local scene? (Click here to read more…)

Where is the line when determining acceptable advertising content? A few years back the concept of front-page advertising was sacrilegous, yet today even the venerable New York Times has picked it up. As newspaper revenue slipped, and then tumbled away, we’ve all asked ourselves, what’s next?

Well, today we found out. The Daily Bruin, our sister paper down at UCLA, ran a full-page ad for Haagen-Dazs on their front page. Their entire front page. The ad was designed to look like the front page of the Bruin and included their masthead, articles and photos, except that each instance of the letter “b” had been removed. On page two, Haagen-Daaz ran a full-page ad calling on readers to buy vanilla honey-bee ice cream to support the company’s bee-friendly garden. (We’re happy that at least they didn’t remove the letter from the masthead. They might never live down “The Daily ‘Ruin.”) For more, see the post over at Innovation in College Media, aptly headlined “Not the sort of innovation we need.”

A couple months back, Haagen-Dazs approached us about the same ad. Knowing that given our finanical condition we shouldn’t turn down any revenue outright, I took the proposal to the Senior Editorial Board. Much to my delight, I was laughed out of the room. This is clearly a step too far. And apparently, the Daily Bruin editors agree. In an editorial they released today, the editors called the decision to run the ad “distasteful at best – and dishonest and unethical at worst.” We know the editors down there, and know they are neither dishonest or unethical. But it does seem they let threats about thousands of dollars worth of budget cuts get the best of them. (Click here to read more…)

The Daily Cal, for obvious reasons, is no stranger to the hard knocks afflicting the newspaper industry right now.  If you thought you were sick of hearing about how journalism is supposedly inching closer to the grave with every tweet of some amateur blogger’s Twitter,  just imagine how we feel.  Seriously, “constant bombardment with prophecies of impending doom” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

That being said, though, all the change and innovation in media is kind of exciting.  Newspapers are no longer limited to the information they can fit onto a few slices of mashed tree pulp every day, and with online commenting, dialogue with readers is actually viable. Sure, having unlimited space for information can be intimidating, but it’s still pretty cool.

The tricky part is figuring out the ways to make the most of these opportunities using (for lack of a less obnoxious term) “new media.” The Daily Cal certainly doesn’t have all the answers, but you can be sure we’re doing our darndest to figure them out–even if that means we have to experiment … a lot.

For example, do we honestly think Twitter is a god-sent solution to all of journalism’s problems? No, probably not.  Can we understand why it’s popular? Yes.  Can we see why it’s useful? Totally. The point is, the Daily Cal is giving it (and anything else that may come along) a try, so let us know what you think.

Which brings me to my next point: the return of the Editors’ Blog, and welcome to it!  The editors will be here, generally discussing why we do what we do.  So if you have a question about an editorial decision, ask us. If you’ve got something to say, say it.  We’ll definitely be listening …

The Daily Cal staff picked up three more awards this week from the Society of Professional Journalists. The awards are for the Region 11 Mark of Excellence Awards.

Victoria Tang - 1st place - Editorial Writing

Jon Doss - 1st place - Sports Columns

Daily Cal staff - 3rd place - Best Overall Student Newspaper

Region 11 covers California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and believe it or not, Guam and the Mariana Islands. Because they won 1st place, both Victoria and Jon will advance to the national competition.

A national and a state college media association honored The Daily Californian staff this weekend with 33 awards at a convention in San Diego. In addition to being recognized as having one of the best newspapers and Web sites in the state and country, Daily Cal staff received dozens of awards in individual categories from the Associated Collegiate Press and the California College Media Association.

This includes 10 first place finishes, and sweeping of three categories (headline package, cartoons, and sports columns). The Daily Cal staff won nearly twice as many awards as any other newspaper.

The CCMA awards are statewide. The ACP awards are against nationwide schools that attended the conference.

Even when the Daily Cal has hit a difficult financial crisis, the student staff members have continued the legacy of excellence that the community has come to expect from the Daily Cal.

For more information, please contact Bryan Thomas at (510) 548-8300 or editor@dailycal.org.

The full award list follows.

Associated Collegiate Press
3rd place - Best in Show 4-year Daily Newspaper
2nd place - Best in Show Newspaper Web site
2nd place - Best in Show Interactive Multimedia Element - Nathan Yan

California College Media Association
2nd place - General Excellence
1st place - Online General Excellence
2nd place - Overall Design
1st place - Back to School/Orientation Special Issue
2nd place - Best Special Section - Election Issue
1st place - News Feature - Kevin Leahy “A Friendship Derailed”
2nd place - Editorial - “Keep trimming”
2nd place - Personal Opinion - Kristine DeGuzman
2nd place - A&E Review - Christine Borden
3rd place - A&E Review - Rajesh Srinivasan
1st place - A&E Column - Louis Peitzman
3rd place - A&E Column - Robert Bergin
3rd place - Sports Story - Ryan Gorcey
1st place - Sports Column - Matt Kawahara
2nd place - Sports Column - Steven Dunst
3rd place - Sports Column - Ryan Gorcey
1st place - News Photo - Anna Hiatt
3rd place - News Photo - Alex Smith
3rd place - Sports Photo - Salgu Wissmath
2nd place - Feature Photo - Skyler Reid
1st place - Sports Page Design - Annie Shen
1st place - Feature Page Design - Samantha Truppi
2nd place - Feature Page Design - Bharath Ganesh
1st place - Headline Portfolio - Matt Kawahara
2nd place - Headline Portfolio - Louis Peitzman
3rd place - Headline Portfolio - Stefanie Lee
1st place - Best Cartoon - Gretchen Faust
2nd place - Best Cartoon - Leslie Tseng
3rd place - Best Cartoon - Eric Wong
3rd place - Breaking News Online

December 2, 2006: Leaving Memorial Stadium after a 27-16 Cal win in the Big Game, I came across the first batch of protesters climbing the oaks in the grove west of the stadium. I groaned a bit. Not because I disagreed with their cause, but because I knew those protesters had just ruined the rest of my day, because I would have to report instead of celebrate. What I didn’t know, was that they were also beginning to shape the next many months of my Daily Cal career.

At the time I didn’t think the protest would last through winter break. Campus entered finals and then emptied out, but through rainstorms and cold, the tree-sitters persevered. When we returned in mid-January, they were there waiting for us.

At the time I was the city news editor, and because the student athletic center issue took on aspects of both city and university coverage, I spent a lot of my time over the next year talking and writing about the the tree-sit and lawsuits. Thanks to a tip, we were there when the UC police arrived to supervise the construction of the first fence in August 2007. (That’s the glamor of this job. There’s nothing like getting up at 5 a.m. to watch minor construction.) We were there for the second fence too, and all the protests, nude or otherwise, in between.

Now, a year later, most of the oaks are gone. I was a bit upset to hear this on Friday, again not because of my personal feelings about the grove, but instead because I was out of the country when it happened. Through 600 days of protest, I’ve barely missed one of the big days, but unfortunately family duties called, and I missed the epic climax of the battle.

Driving back into Berkeley on Saturday morning, I made a point of driving along Piedmont Avenue to the grove. Workers were busy clearing away the felled trees, yet four tree-sitters persevered, and still do, in the redwood they have named Redwood Mary. It’s hard to describe my feelings on this site, except to say that it seemed all too anticlimactic. What had been a grove of such importance to so many people, now looked like nothing more than a cleared construction site, awaiting a foundation, some walls and a roof.

I’ve been continually surprised by events at the grove, and by now I’ve learned my lesson to not call it over until all sides say it is. I know those four tree-sitters are still up there, and I know a lot can happen before the university begins construction. But the central physical feature which served as a daily reminder of the battle–a battle over trees, safety and philosophy–is now gone.

Life goes on, and the Daily Cal’s coverage certainly will. But when I look back at my time at UC Berkeley, I will remember the battle for the oaks, as I’m sure many of my peers will too. It was no Free Speech Movement, or Vietnam War protest, but it was ours, and so while we are relieved, excited or saddened by the events of the last few days, I think we can all be bit nostalgic.

Today’s paper was the last Wednesday print edition for the immediate future. As we announced this week, we will no longer be printing a Wednesday edition of our paper as a cost-saving measure. We’ve gotten a lot of response, and a lot of questions, but I’d like to address one that keeps coming up, both from our staff and our readers.

Why Wednesdays?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a perfect answer, save for perhaps, “Why not?”. We take pride in every issue we put out, and so we certainly do not have a day which we would like to cut at all.

That said, there are a few points which we considered:

• Wednesday is the only two-section issue of our publication schedule. We publish the arts & entertainment page on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the opinion page on Mondays and Thursdays, but on Wednesdays it’s just news and sports. Cutting Wednesday means less of a disruption for our readers.
• It’s important for us to keep our sports section strong, and overwhelmingly their coverage is greatest closer to the weekends.
• So it really comes down to the last section which is most affected, our news team. The simple truth is news happens every day, and there really is no better or worse day to not have a paper. And as we move toward a 24-7 news cycle online at www.dailycal.org, we will be using our print edition more to feature long-term reporting and features, and get the breaking news to you faster on the Web.

As a reminder, you can expect full fresh content Wednesdays (and every day) online. That includes a special Web-only columnist, to be announced.

Thoroughly unsatisfied with this answer? Let me know in the comments or at editor@dailycal.org.

Today we are announcing some difficult changes at the Daily Cal. I can assure you that these decisions were not reached lightly and we are actively working to reverse many of them as soon as possible. For updates on the situation, see www.dailycal.org/notice.

I would like to use this space to highlight a few of the things which are going VERY well around here.

While many students were on summer vacation, the Daily Cal continued putting out great work. Of particular excellence was the ongoing coverage of the Memorial Stadium showdown, as well as our sports desk’s coverage of Cal Olympians. (Examples here, here and here).

This summer also saw the debut of Daily Cal video content. All of it can be found on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/thedailycal. Check out what Call football coach Jeff Tedford had to say about his quarterback pick.

Entering the fall semester we have an energized staff and you can expect great things. I will be using this space on a frequent basis to keep you updated on our internal workings. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me at editor@dailycal.org.