I'll be done in a few weeks. Oh, sure, I'll be done with school -- cross my fingers. But I'll also be done with this newspaper, and I'll no longer be a student journalist, at least officially.
Which is good, I suppose, because I'm sick of getting shut out of things.
To be fair, the Eagles' first game at Lincoln Financial Field is the only event I can think of offhand that denied my credential request.
It's not like The Daily Pennsylvanian is routinely getting turned down to cover the mayor. Again, the only recent event offhand I can think of is Dick Cheney's visit to Huntsman Hall in 2002. But other reporters weren't allowed in, either ... which, I suppose, is better.
The DP is lucky, though. It's one of the most respected college papers in the country. (You could, of course, make the argument that it's like winning a contest nobody wanted to enter.)
When President Bush visited Des Moines, Iowa, on April 15, though, three student newspapers -- Iowa State Daily, The Daily Iowan and The Des Moines Area Community College Chronicle -- were denied access to the event. Other papers and television stations were allowed in.
A reporter for the DMACC Chronicle was told by the White House press office that the president didn't want students covering the event in Des Moines.
The Daily Iowan's request was late, but another station, WQAD-TV, also requested late but was let into the event.
And even though its request was late, The Daily Iowan was told by the White House press office that credentials would be available the day before. Naturally. At least the Eagles -- who were very professional -- told me well in advance that there wasn't a seat available for me at the stadium's opener.
It'd be a great story if the president was so concerned about liberals -- the traditional leaning of college students -- writing nasty things about him that he was denying them entrance to his speeches. Somehow, however, I doubt that conspiracy theory.
The three Iowa papers got screwed, obviously. They should have been let in.
It's not surprising, though. Student press never gets any respect. Some pundits, of course, may ask, "Why should it?" And, in a way, the pundits are right. Student press is run by students who are busy balancing schoolwork, other jobs, other activities and can't commit as much time as a regular newspaper can. That's not to mention the inexperience of most of the writers at college papers.
Further than that, a lot of student newspapers run things that are, well, interesting only to students, such as a column about student journalists. (This is in contrast to regular newspapers, which usually run stories that are interesting to no one.)
If you had to choose between a column by myself and Dave Barry, I'd hope you'd choose the two-time Pulitzer winner.
But Dave Barry doesn't know as much about Penn as I do. He can't provide the perspective I can. In a way, nobody can provide a perspective on college better than a college student.
I may not care what the DMACC Chronicle has to say about President Bush's visit, but if I were a DMACC student I would. Even if a media outlet is fair and objective, you only report from your perspective -- why wouldn't the perspective of college students be as valid as somebody from The Des Moines Register?
In reality, it's no more or less valid. Sure, a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter is probably better than me, but that doesn't mean I don't have a right to report on the mayor as much as he or she does.
Although my career as a student is coming to an end, I hope that my career as a student of journalism and writing isn't. I know a lot about reporting and writing from my work here and at internships, but I'm not at the level I will be one day.
I may not have been let into the Eagles' stadium opener, and I probably wouldn't have been able to cover a President Bush visit to the area. Maybe one day I will.
But I do hope that I've given a good, fair, different perspective during my four years, and I know I'll keep learning throughout my career.
Daniel McQuade is a senior English major from Philadelphia, Pa., and former 34th Street managing editor. Lone Wolf McQuade appears on Thursdays.
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