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…)