On Monday, Mr. Frizzelle and I received an email from one Marisa, a student at the University of Washington.
I am in a communications class studying local media, and my group is researching 3 newspapers. We are conducting interviews, and would like to interview you (either of you would be fine), plus another person who would be willing to be interviewed. May we interview you on Wednesday if that’s possible? Is that a good day?
Is that a good day? In a larger sense, who can say? It was yesterday, now, and it seemed to be an all right day. I don’t remember what happened at work—we are all very busy as well as very high around here. It was a day that came two days after the request for the interview and, it became apparent from a subsequent email, six days before Marisa’s group’s final paper is due.
Our final paper is due next Tuesday, and I just wanted to see if Wednesday could work out.
We leave everything until the very last minute (or, if possible, later) around here, too. After I emailed back and learned of Marisa’s deadline, in fact, her email got shoved down and, um, deprioritized, as it were. But Marisa just called. I let it go to voicemail. My phone is blinking. I feel guilt.
Good people of Slog, perhaps you can help. Look!
I will accept a written response of the questions. There are 16 questions and you can see we covered all areas. Answer the ones that stand out to you. The interview should only take 20-30 minutes.
We’re not that into covering all areas around here. We like some areas—certain areas in particular—uncovered. Anyhow, lord knows you people are as good as or better than me and Mr. Frizzelle when it comes to answering questions that stand out to you. Here are the first few of Marisa and Her Nameless Fellow Huskies’ queries; the rest are after the jump. Help a dawg out!
The Stranger Questions
AUDIENCE:
-Who is your audience, how do you know this, and what is the relationship between your audience and content?-Do you think The Stranger’s content generates the audience, or do you think it’s the other way around?
CONTENT:
-What decisions and aspects do you consider when deciding what content to place in The Stranger?-Where do you get ideas for stories, artwork, layout, and features?
Husky by sea kay from The Stranger‘s flickr pool. There, I answered part of that last question already!
PRODUCTION/ORGANIZATION:
-What is your biggest challenge in producing this paper?– Where does the Stranger generate its revenue?
-Are there different objectives related to content, audience, and interactivity for the paper vs. the website?
-How does the blog play into those objectives?
-How does your paper, website, or blog encourage participation from the readers?
• newspaper –
• website –
• blog-SOCIAL MOVEMENTS:
-What social movements exist right now, and what is the role of alternative media, more specifically The Stranger, play in those social movements?-How does the The Stranger reflect the local culture? What role does culture play in social movements?
DEMOCRACY:
-How does The Stranger’s content, production, and organization embody democracy? Why in your opinion is mainstream media so undemocratic?-Do advertisers affect the decisions being made like editorial, content, endorsements, investigations etc.?
-Who and why did the Stranger get started? How has the org/paper content change over the years?
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA:
-Do you consider your paper/organization alternative? Why/Why not?-Is there a clear definition of alternative media today? Should we call it something else?
You couldn’t be a bigger asshole to this girl? I mean, come on!
This seems like a weird thing to be snarky about. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just say no at the outset?
Audience: 43 y/o white female. creative outlet. content generates audience.
Content: Relevant current issues.
Social Movements: the Blog rocks. opportunity for expression
Democracy: anyone can Slog.
Boo, heartless stranger!!! It would take, like, 15 minutes to give quick answers to those questions. BOO.
you used this request for your own silly blog fodder rather than taking the equivalent amount of time to simply respond.
Aside from a couple questions, it would take, like, 5 minutes to Google the answers to those questions.
That’s pretty uncool.
SLOG has spoken. You suck.
boy BJC, you are sooo important.
god forbid you do anything usefull for community small folk.
heartless wench.
Umm, number 5 pretty much nailed it.
@4 – No it would not! It would take 20-30 minutes!
Mean.
She has real, non-googlable questions. She asked for a little bit of your time and instead of saying no, you brushed her off.
That reminds me… I have to turn in my annual self appraisal form tomorrow. Oooooh god KILL ME.
Douche move. Yes she procrastinated, and yes, the questions are clunky and possibly pulled straight from the textbook, but a public reveal is not going to teach her a lesson or make her a better student. And do you really think slog answers would be acceptable for her class? Next time just say no. Privately.
snakes is right.
I don’t mean to be bitchy. Some of the questions are so general as to be very time-consuming if not impossible to answer—”What social movements exist right now, and what is the role of alternative media, more specifically The Stranger, play in those social movements?” Others do seem like they could be answered by doing some research (same one, in fact). We do usually get back to students and others with questions like this—I answered another student’s list of questions on Monday. And I do think they should schedule their interviews before six days prior to their paper being due. But mostly I thought it was kind of funny.
I get this same sort of request from HS & college students every few months – they wait until the absolute LAST FUCKING MINUTE, then basically Spam out their request to absolutely any outlet that might conceivably fit the class criteria, hoping for a hit.
And of course, WE are considered the “assholes”, because we can’t spare them 15 minutes for an interview, one or two days before the project is due.
I say, screw ’em. Most likely, they’ve had this assignment for weeks, and are just now getting around to trying to cover their asses for their mid-term assessment or whatever.
As a former student, AND as a former instructor, I have absolutely NO sympathy for them whatsoever.
That being said, however. In the spirit of cooperation, here are the answers I THINK you should give Marisa:
PRODUCTION/ORGANIZATION:
-What is your biggest challenge in producing this paper?
A: Trying to keep the staff from smoking dope on deadline day.
– Where does the Stranger generate its revenue?
A: Solicitations for Prostitution, mostly. That, and bands. Which works out pretty well, when you think about it.
-Are there different objectives related to content, audience, and interactivity for the paper vs. the website?
A: No. It’s all about selling ads (see above).
-How does the blog play into those objectives?
A: Sloggers make comments. Comments draw readers to the solicitations for prostitution. Lather, rinse, repeat.
-How does your paper, website, or blog encourage participation from the readers?
• newspaper –
A: Letters
• website –
A: See above
• blog-
A: Vitriolic comments left by SLOGers
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS:
-What social movements exist right now, and what is the role of alternative media, more specifically The Stranger, play in those social movements?
A: People are pissed off about everything these days – “The Stranger” gives them a place to focus their ire and vitriol.
-How does the The Stranger reflect the local culture? What role does culture play in social movements?
A: As self-proclaimed arbiters of the social dynamic in Seattle, “The Stranger” IS “local culture”.
DEMOCRACY:
-How does The Stranger’s content, production, and organization embody democracy? Why in your opinion is mainstream media so undemocratic?
A: The difference between “The Stranger” and the mainstream media is that everyone at “The Stranger” gets to voice their opinion before it’s ignored by the Editorial Staff; in most MSM outlets, you don’t even get to HAVE an opinion before it’s shot down by the suits in the corner offices.
-Do advertisers affect the decisions being made like editorial, content, endorsements, investigations etc.?
A: Yes.
-Who and why did the Stranger get started? How has the org/paper content change over the years?
A: “The Stranger” was started by a guy who helped start “The Onion”. The only thing that’s changed about it over the years is that the little bald-guy-with-sunglasses logo was dropped some time back.
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA:
-Do you consider your paper/organization alternative? Why/Why not?
A: Yes. Because we say so.
-Is there a clear definition of alternative media today? Should we call it something else?
A: No. Call it “Harold”.
See, not too tough…
@16: Your defense strikes me as disingenuous. You lot manage to pull together your rag once a week, a period of seven days. What makes you think a group of college students can’t pull together a group project in pretty much the same amount of time?
I think it’s more of an asshole move to wait until a week or so before your paper is due to email these kinds of questions to a media outlet. If they’re going to donate their time and energy, at least give them some time to actually answer the questions without shoving it down their throat.
Communications class? pfffff
how about some credit to the photographer?
-chicken kid
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thechickenk…
My reponse would be to have her interview you over the phone. My old boss got these requests all the time and just answered via email “Call me and we’ll talk for 10 minutes”. If they really needed the info, they would call. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t.
@20: Is phony major. Marisa learn nothing.
I bet the Seattle Weekly would have answered her questions. They probably already have.
Thanks @21. I was wondering why the adorable dog was there, and who had taken the photo.
Shit Bethany, weren’t you a journalism student once? Many years ago you could have been this girl. You should have cut her some slack, instead you feed into the perception that many (not all) Stranger writers are self-obsessed assholes.
A better answer than @17 would have been:
PRODUCTION/ORGANIZATION:
-What is your biggest challenge in producing this paper?
A: Getting the staff to stop smoking dope too much on production day and waking up the ones who are asleep.
– Where does the Stranger generate its revenue?
A: Lots of ads online for things people don’t need. And lots of print ads for things people shouldn’t need, some of which are probably illegal.
-Are there different objectives related to content, audience, and interactivity for the paper vs. the website?
A: No. It’s all about selling ads (see above).
[you got this one right]
-How does the blog play into those objectives?
A: The blog causes people who are n00bz to refresh the online ads, creating revenues for both ad click-thru and ad impressions – as people post they check back for replies, causing even more page reloads. If we’re really lucky, they start a flamefest (see ECB posts) and people post and hit reload like crazy which is why ECB and Charles are the best revenue generators.
-How does your paper, website, or blog encourage participation from the readers?
By holding silly contests that cost us little and by the current generation having an incessent desire to be famous somehow. We also use the “gifts” to promote the paper, blog, and website by branding – free advertising by the lucky recipients.
@23 Eric Grandy
Perhaps if you studied Communication you would be much better at your job, have a better understanding of the Media environment in which your hobby exists, and have marketable skills beyond having listened to and pontificated about music once you get too old for the Stranger.
But since you don’t know what Communication(s) IS, I doubt this even phases you.
(part 2)
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS:
-What social movements exist right now, and what is the role of alternative media, more specifically The Stranger, play in those social movements?
Other than creating protests, we mostly just care about ads. And being able to go to cool parties.
-How does the The Stranger reflect the local culture? What role does culture play in social movements?
The local culture is Scandiwhovian. We ignore them and they pretend we don’t exist, other than when we create a big protest or ride our fixies on their lawns.
DEMOCRACY:
-How does The Stranger’s content, production, and organization embody democracy? Why in your opinion is mainstream media so undemocratic?
What is this Democracy of which you speak?
-Do advertisers affect the decisions being made like editorial, content, endorsements, investigations etc.?
No, but they love us anyway, cause we get them into cool parties.
-Who and why did the Stranger get started? How has the org/paper content change over the years?
Because we were bored and the Rocket kicked us out for smoking too much weed. And then the Weekly lost it’s energy, so now we just rest on our laurels mostly.
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA:
-Do you consider your paper/organization alternative? Why/Why not?
Sure. Sounds good. Is there money in that?
-Is there a clear definition of alternative media today? Should we call it something else?
Yes, alternative media is whatever makes money. Stuff that doesn’t make money is called either Mainstream Media or The Wall Street Journal.
Gosh, everyone, lay off BJC. A blog is the perfect forum for her to informally chat about this student’s request and see the humor in it. Sure, The Stranger puts out an issue every seven days, but you can bet that takes 40+ hours a week from each staffer (and I don’t even want to imagine for how little pay). So extra requests such as the one from this student aren’t easily scheduled in without much advance notice. Especially considering how broad the questions are. Solid answers could take hours to formulate. And, as BJC pointed out in one of her follow-up comments, the students could conduct some research of their own to formulate answers rather than take the easy way out and toss the questions (and necessary research) over the fence to Stranger staffers. Lame.
I was a J School student once, and procrastination is my middle name. Just ask some of my current editors. But I think it’s funny to point this shit out … in some weird way, stories like this remind us how not to act. I’ll still procrastinate, but I won’t ever expect special favors (and quick turnarounds) from complete strangers.
AUDIENCE:
-Who is your audience, how do you know this, and what is the relationship between your audience and content?
Answer: stoners. Takes one to know one. Stoners like to read about music (because music is awesome when stoned, especially if you use iTunes “visualizer”) and sex (because sex is awesome at all times, but especially when stoned) and alternative forms of transportation (because driving stoned is a buzzkill).
-Do you think The Stranger’s content generates the audience, or do you think it’s the other way around?
Answer: being mostly fags, the Stranger staff doesn’t generate very many people at all, and definitely nobody old enough to read their paper. The audience contributes mostly in teh form of snarky Slog comments. Is there a third option?
CONTENT:
-What decisions and aspects do you consider when deciding what content to place in The Stranger?
Answer: we mainly consider entertainment value and ad revenues. We write socially responsible rants often enough to convince people that we are smart about Important Shit so they’ll use our voter guides, because we’re hoping to get enough cool people into office to get pot legalized in WA. We don’t know what we’ll do after that. Besides get really, really high.
-Where do you get ideas for stories, artwork, layout, and features?
Answer: mostly the iTunes “visualizer”.
Bethany, prove your not what you say you are and answer the student’s questions. Really, the tone of your writing is almost always of a superior-to-thou nature. It’s sad.
@32 “say what you aren’t.” even with the preview comments I catch myself too late. Anyway, hopefully you got the point. You say you don’t mean to be bitchy.
From Marisa, the procrastinator?
To Bethany: I think we both could have done things differently, and I appreciate the support of the other bloggers! Prior to contacting you, I emailed Erica Barnett and never got a response so I decided to email you and Mr. Frizzelle. He never gave me a response.
In the last week, I have interviewed 3 other journalists/editors, attended two gatherings about stopping homelessness, attended an all campus meeting to discuss our climate change crisis, created/collaborated website slides and a citizen’s survey on climate change and sustainability, held down a part-time job cashiering, and tried my best to be a single mom for 4 teenage full-fledged musicians and 3 cats. Last month, I was volunteering at the Poverty Action Network, phonebanking for the election twice a week. When I realized I wasn’t going to get an interview from you, I went and did what any good student would – I researched. I went to the microfilm department in Suzzalo and studied endlessly The Stranger’s premier issue and all the early issues. I learned about The Stranger’s beginnings at Suite 1516 on University Ave in 1991. Finally today, I interviewed 2 more journalists.
Here are Bethany’s short answers:
1. Who is your audience, how do you know this, and what is the relationship between your audience and content? young citydwellers; we do surveys from time to time, i believe; i don’t understand this question.
2. Do you think The Stranger’s content generates the audience, or do you think it’s the other way around? kind of a conundrum!
3. What decisions and aspects do you consider when deciding what content to place in The Stranger? what’s interesting, what’s funny, what’s crazy, what’s happening in the city, whatever strikes our weird fancy.
4. Where do you get ideas for stories, artwork,layout, and features? the brains of our staff.
5. Where does the Stranger generate its revenue? advertising
6. Do advertisers affect the decisions being made like editorial, content, endorsements, investigations etc.? no, not at all
Hmmm, I’ll think twice before trying to interview the Stranger again.
In the words of the first edition Stranger writer Poteet Jenkins “Nobody eats my brain and gets away with it!” In Vagrants of Doom, the story goes that Bob escapes a band of brain eating vagrant hobos on their way to becoming contestants on the Jeopardy Show. They eat the brains of smart people thinking it will make them smarter. At the end of the story, Poteet asks the reader “think a little while of what might have been eating your brains?” Ends with “You just might be lucky enough to stop it before its too late!”
Question to the sloggers: So what’s been eating The Stranger lately?
@35 Trolls
Wow, I think my pretend answers (@31) were better than Bethany’s real ones. LOL
Wow … what an asshole thing to do. All you had to do was write her back and tell her no.
I’ve worked in broadcast and print media for over 10 years, and let me say those questions were NOT “just a second of your time” questions. As I saw it, BJC was being overly kind.
Marisa/Greengoddess (shudder) says she went and did a bunch of research after not getting a timely-enough-last-minute-response to her questions (side note: Did you only email? Lazy.). Well then, you learned a very valuable lesson and spent YOUR time instead of Bethany’s on your project. And yes, you spend lots of time doing works for the greater good as well. Good for fuckin’ you. So do plenty of the rest of us.
@28
But since you don’t know what Communication(s) IS, I doubt this even phases you.
That’s fazes, genius.
Hey Marisa:
You are currently standing in the middle of the answers to several of your questions—you’ve been made part of the discourse, which is an opportunity none of your other peers have.
It’s a gift, not a an insult. Instead of bitching about not getting what you expected, take advantage of what you have, think a thought or two, and ace that paper or project or whatever.
Haha,
As it turns out, Marisa found it a bit amusing…. or at least the rest of us did!! 😉 We’re members of her other major- CEP. Or otherwise known by the rest of U.W. as the “Evergreen major.” But really. We’re not like that.
And as for procrastinating… Marisa didn’t send it the day before! 😛 I actually know she’s more proactive than that. We don’t usually get given assignments more than a week in advance, by the way.
Anyway, our site can be found at
http://www.cepweb.wordpress.com under the November 20th post.
Thanks for “helping” out a fellow classmate. 😉 I think it’s possible The Stranger is more democratic (or sadistic) than other papers… and that’s part of what makes it so loveable. It’s definitely kind of tied-in with the Seattle community.
… Am I gonna get bashed for this now?? I hope not. 😀