5,000 condoms and a truck

by: Pat Tierney

That's right - condoms and a truck, clearly the makings of any good news story.

When doing research for another class, I ran across a news article that dealt with two things: condoms and a truck in Mexico.

This article dealt with a truck which travels through Mexico giving giving away free condoms to promote safe sex. The truck has given away 1.2 million condoms in its 10 years of existence to nearly 700,000 people.

An article like this, particularly appearing in an Iowa newspaper, is a clearly case of novelty in a news article. Being that it's located in Mexico, there isn't a lot of proximity, and it doesn't really deal with anyone overly famous or well known.

No, this story isn't all laughs. The truck was part of an initiative to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS and promoting safe sex.

However, in times where most headlines read of the current economic crisis, or the largely publicized election, it's refreshing to see something that our "inner immature child" can't help but smile at.

Despite the fact that there isn't a ton of newsworthy value in this story, it definitely caught my eye as a reader.

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A step in the right direction

By Liz Tjaden

For a young journalism student, there is nothing more disheartening than being told that their story will not be printed because administration doesn’t agree with it. First Amendment laws have been argued and discussed in many high schools and colleges all over the country. Should student voices be censored? Hell no.

A few weeks ago, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Teacher Protection Law that blocks censorship in schools for student journalists. Teachers and advisors have been removed from their positions for standing up to the administration when it comes to censorship in student newspapers.

Others have the right to freedom of speech, why not students? Just because someone has the title of being a student does not mean that their rights can be taken away from them. If anything, I would want my students to write controversial pieces. We need to learn at a young age to make a voice for ourselves and to take negative criticism with a grain of salt.

Learning how to go after a story and get the facts is what we should be important. Instead, we often teach students to quiet themselves when faced with controversy.

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Why must we get so feisty

By: Christina Woldt

The Huffington Post composed quite a spread on the "ferociousness" of politics expressing that, "McCain is finally expressing a little humanity." After one of his campaign stop speeches, McCain opened it up to the audience for questions. The right-winged audience had some pretty ruthless questions as well as pathetic. Questions included Republicans being, "scared of an Obama led country." An old lady got up to speak and said, "I don't like this Obama man, he's Arab." See it for yourself:

 

Not only were these questions ignorant but, the look on McCain's face was one of sadness and almost horror. Much like how Mary Shelley's gruesome creator looked at his beast Frankenstein for the first time. McCain looked like he couldn't event believe e what he was hear. If I were McCain I'd be appalled at what kind of monster the republican party has created. In this video the audience seemed almost cruel and disrespectful not only to presidential hopeful Barack Obama, but for John McCain as well. 

Is being a democrat and supporting a Black presidential candidate so bad? From this video, my feelings of many Republicans as racist and small-minded only heighten. Don't get me wrong, many people I love and care for are republicans but, could we all just take a deep breath and relax a bit. I'd be more afraid of our government being run by people who shun others away for being different and "wrong" than afraid of a government that wants equality and REAL change. I'm sick of this mindset of freedom, we aren't free until we are truly free from all prejudices and ignorance about our neighbors. Maybe it's going to take a Black president to make this happen. 

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