Paper offers conservative viewpoint
Riverfront Review a reaction to "liberal saturation" of campus
Nick Halter
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Campus News
There's a new voice in campus media - a conservative one by its own admission that hopes to "balance the liberal saturation with conservative viewpoints," according to the publication.
The Riverfront Review distributed its first issue Sept. 24 with four pages filled with conservative commentary on campus and national issues.
Editor in chief, senior Kristy LeTourneau, said colleges, by nature, are liberal institutions and being conservative on campus is looked down upon.
"I've had professors that feel like it's their duty to preach to their students because they're in a higher position," she said.
LeTourneau mentioned that other campus media leans to the left, citing The Flip Side as a liberal publication.
"That was the purpose of the paper," she said. "We've never had a conservative paper on campus."
The Flip Side editor in chief, senior Phil Kolas, disagreed that the publication was liberal. He said anyone who submits work will get published, conservative or liberal, as long as it isn't bad.
"If it was purely liberal I probably would have gotten bored with it and quit," he said.
Kolas said that while the submission policy is completely open, The Flip Side tends to receive more liberal articles than conservative. He said he wishes more conservatives would submit their work, because that's what makes the paper exciting.
"That's why I like the Riverfront Review," he said. "It's interesting. It's not stuff I would usually read."
LeTourneau said The Spectator is for the most part non-partisan, but cited a time when the publication did not publish her conservative friend's letter to the editor.
As of the Sept. 24 issue, the Riverfront Review had six staff members, all of which are volunteer positions, LeTourneau said.
Thus far the paper has been funded by a grant from the Leadership Institute, an organization with the goal of training future conservative leaders, according to its Web site. Friends of the College Republicans have also donated, LeTourneau said.
The first issue was comprised mainly of opinion-based writing. LeTourneau said in future issues she would like to divide the paper into sections and also report news.
The next issue will be eight pages. LeTourneau said she has a couple interested advertisers and also plans on doing fundraising to finance the paper.
Kolas said he wishes the paper the best, but did say it should identify itself as a conservative publication if it isn't going to accept all viewpoints.
LeTourneau said her paper would allow liberal submissions in the future.
The next issue is set to be released in mid-October and will remain on a tri-weekly cycle.
The Riverfront Review distributed its first issue Sept. 24 with four pages filled with conservative commentary on campus and national issues.
Editor in chief, senior Kristy LeTourneau, said colleges, by nature, are liberal institutions and being conservative on campus is looked down upon.
"I've had professors that feel like it's their duty to preach to their students because they're in a higher position," she said.
LeTourneau mentioned that other campus media leans to the left, citing The Flip Side as a liberal publication.
"That was the purpose of the paper," she said. "We've never had a conservative paper on campus."
The Flip Side editor in chief, senior Phil Kolas, disagreed that the publication was liberal. He said anyone who submits work will get published, conservative or liberal, as long as it isn't bad.
"If it was purely liberal I probably would have gotten bored with it and quit," he said.
Kolas said that while the submission policy is completely open, The Flip Side tends to receive more liberal articles than conservative. He said he wishes more conservatives would submit their work, because that's what makes the paper exciting.
"That's why I like the Riverfront Review," he said. "It's interesting. It's not stuff I would usually read."
LeTourneau said The Spectator is for the most part non-partisan, but cited a time when the publication did not publish her conservative friend's letter to the editor.
As of the Sept. 24 issue, the Riverfront Review had six staff members, all of which are volunteer positions, LeTourneau said.
Thus far the paper has been funded by a grant from the Leadership Institute, an organization with the goal of training future conservative leaders, according to its Web site. Friends of the College Republicans have also donated, LeTourneau said.
The first issue was comprised mainly of opinion-based writing. LeTourneau said in future issues she would like to divide the paper into sections and also report news.
The next issue will be eight pages. LeTourneau said she has a couple interested advertisers and also plans on doing fundraising to finance the paper.
Kolas said he wishes the paper the best, but did say it should identify itself as a conservative publication if it isn't going to accept all viewpoints.
LeTourneau said her paper would allow liberal submissions in the future.
The next issue is set to be released in mid-October and will remain on a tri-weekly cycle.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 11
beebets
beebets
posted 10/08/07 @ 7:38 AM CST
Sigh ... it just gets so tiring and depressing. Liberal, conservative, libertarian. Republican, Democrat, Green. Just stop whining about being left out by the media and bleating about no one hearing your opinion. (Continued…)
Andrew
posted 10/08/07 @ 8:40 AM CST
The exact same thing happened on my campus . . . a number of conservative students on campus were somehow slighted by our official newpaper and decided that it was evidence of a larger conspiracy to supress their political views, so they got the Leadership Institute to come and give them money to start up a "newspaper" but which in reality was a poorly written, incoherent set of editorials on stereotypical conservative issues like guns and discrimination against white people. (Continued…)
Sean McCormick
posted 10/09/07 @ 10:15 AM CST
I love how people immediately assume that we're all just a bunch of conservative whiners who complain incessantly about how our viewpoints are shut out. (Continued…)
beebets
posted 10/09/07 @ 10:26 AM CST
I have no trouble reading conservative viewpoints and no one ever said "your's" was poorly written. My comments were about the paranoia of the right . (Continued…)
Kristy LeTourneau
posted 10/09/07 @ 8:09 PM CST
With respect to all, and as Editor in Chief, we are not doing this to counter ANYONE specifically. Read the mission statement of the actual paper, not just the Spectator. (Continued…)
WisHigherEd
posted 10/10/07 @ 10:20 AM CST
The university ought to be a true "marketplace of ideas," so a new publication is always welcome, regardless of political stripe or affiliation. Trouble is, I strolled through Davies last night in an attempt to pick up a copy of the Riverside Review but couldn't find one. (Continued…)
WisHigherEd
posted 10/10/07 @ 10:28 AM CST
Oops. I meant to say "Rivefront Review," not "Riverside Review." Sorry. I guess I just can't take my mind off the "Riverside Reader," the collection of essays which is visited on thousands of freshman English students across the country. (Continued…)
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