Sunday, November 11, 2007

Student threat or sour grapes?

A newspaper publisher in Montana is crying foul over the creation of an online newspaper by journalism students at the University of Montana. The publisher says by covering the Crow Indian Reservation, the students are competing with his traditional newspaper. The online experiment, he maintains, could backfire by hurting his newspaper's ability to sell advertising. Although the students are gaining experience, he says, it may mean he can no longer afford to hire them after they graduate. The student publication is partially funded by J-Lab and is part of an experiment called the Rural News Network, aimed at covering underserved populations.
So what's your take? Is the publisher right? Have the students undercut him? Or is competition good? And is this simply a way for students to get valuable experience in a rapidly changing profession?

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