Digesting the Daily
As a former editor and columnist for The Daily Northwestern and as an alumnus of Northwestern University, I subscribe to the Daily to keep up with campus happenings and the state of student journalism. Yesterday, I spent some quality time on the big blue couch to catch up on the last two months' worth of the Daily. And I found several media-, technology-, and activism-related items that might be of interest to Media Dieticians.

Student-written book offers candid look at NU
New unofficial handbook gives readers an alarming look at campus living
(Sept. 24, 2002)

WebRoomz lets students select own roommates
Company has two client universities; NU housing calls service unrealistic
(Oct. 1, 2002)

Cosmo terrifies as it entices, but most of all it lies
Columnist Mike Sherman analyzes the foibles of women's magazines
(Oct. 1, 2002)

Cosmo's trashy, but macho Maxim does equal damage
Letter writer Jason Spitz counters with an analysis of the foibles of, ahem, men's magazines
(Oct. 2, 2002)

Universities limit speech to set zones, bar protests
Colleges designate campus locations where students able to demonstrate
(Oct. 8, 2002)

Che's revolution is lost in sea of hip marketing
Columnist Kristina Francisco rages against the lifestyle marketing machine
(Oct. 9, 2002)

Former Daily columnist's plagiarism regretted
Just goes to show that stealing from widely read sources like Slate is silly, students
(Oct. 10, 2002)

Officials mull contract with hat company
University plans to weigh reports by labor-conditions watchdogs
(Oct. 11, 2002)

Role-playing group seeks out game vampires
NU group's live-action, year-long fun focuses on storytelling and characters
(Oct. 11, 2002)

Cosmo editor dazzles NU crowd with anecdotes, advice for women
Helen Gurley Brown speaks to a full audience to kick off Medill's Crain Lecture series
(Oct. 15, 2002)

Unrestrained nanotechnology enthusiasm potentially deadly
Looks like letter writer Clif Brown reads and respects Bill Joy
(Oct. 15, 2002)

Speaker: Rap music aids society in Africa
Popular music provides Tanzanians with sense of community, self-worth
(Oct. 15, 2002)

You can't tell if I'm telling you the whole truth
Perhaps concerned by recent reports of columnist plagiarism, Kristina Francisco admits a factual error in last week's column
(Oct. 16, 2002)

Nobel may increase NU Press cash flow
Troubled printer could profit from books' sales, but won't alter outlook
(Oct. 17, 2002)

Campus media need to know value of dissent
Columnist Jesse Abrams-Morley takes on the Daily's conservative counterpart, the Chronicle
(Oct. 17, 2002)

Nobel Prize emphasizes importance of NU Press
The Daily's editorial board takes a brave, pro-Nobel position
(Oct. 21, 2002)

Prof: Donated clothing sets trends in Africa
Media fails to see secondhand clothes as a cultural influence, professor says
(Oct. 22, 2002)

NU will renew contract with clothing company
Report: New Era improved labor conditions
(Oct. 23, 2002)

WNUR to keep online broadcast despite fees
Costly fee won't affect broadcasting, but cuts back amount of webcasting
(Oct. 24, 2002)

Tunnel vision
The long, hot journey to and through the hidden world beneath NU
(Oct. 24, 2002)

Student scrawlings on stall turned into book
"Penn State Whizdom" peak at what college kids read while taking a leak
(Oct. 25, 2002)

Free spirited, heavy minded
NOWAR adds its name to NU's infrequent history of activism
(Oct. 30, 2002)

Beyond the standard articles, editorials, columns, and letters of comment, several Daily features stand out as worth their salt issue after issue.

The comic strips and editorial cartoons of Alex Thomas are a joy to behold, especially his "Bottom of the Food Chain" anthropomorphic campus comedy and slightly differently styled "Kampus Komedy!" editorial cartoons starring Blammo and Mitch. Additional kudos for Thomas' editorial cartoon in response to the Sept. 24 feature on the unofficial campus guide published by a couple of snarky Sig Eps. Also, the weekly nyou section sports a "Week in Review" report card that is almost always spot on in its sarcasm and spunkiness. nyou's "Calendar" grid does more than point out upcoming events in the Evanston area; it often deflates the people and projects involved. "Calendar" isn't as darkly humorous as it seemed to be last year, but it's still worth a look.

I'll keep digesting the Daily for Alex Thomas and "Week in Review" alone, but it's good to see writers wrestling with media activism and literacy. Keep it up!