Why I dislike Newswagon

This post is partially a reply to someone who asked 'What else could you expect from NW?'
I treat NW as a single entity, without targetting individual members.

The mandate of Newswagon (NW) is unclear. I checked on the NITK website, their page hasn't been modified even once. So presumably from the title of this club, I'll assume they are responsible with bringing out the news on campus.

NW is probably supposed to be the NITK's press club, bringing the latest news and happenings of campus life to the students, as well as talking about the latest buzz and moods, people's opinion etc.

So why do I dislike it?

• It isn't news. It comes out once a month at best. So most of the information is outdated. In any case the content is more of an exercise in condescencion than in portraying 'news'.
• It tries to be funny, rarely ( but not never) being successful.
  
• It relies on gossip to hold it together. Indeed, NW editions are like chocolate chip icecreams we get in the mess. Most of it is plain old vanilla: nothing exciting, the very basic and mundane variety available, generally last-preference stuff. The news on who's dating who or whatever are like the choco-chips, which makes it suddenly interesting for people to read. Remove the chips, and youjust have plain vanilla.
• It refuses to be direct. NW somehow refuses to call a 'soil-relocation device' a spade. I mean, why the secrecy necessary? To protect someone? If it's so sensitive then it probably shouldn't be mentioned.

I can understand gossip is news too, and it has to be a part of NW. However the rest doesn't need to be plain old vanilla. I also understand that a lot of events in our college are not that great, someare downright shoddy, but how far will pooh-poohing these events get anyone. I've never heard anything positive from NW, about what should be done ( Usually all you'll find is one wise-crack per event mentioned).

I think once upon a time NW managed to be humourous when reporting on events. The present NW is trying to be the same, instead of inventing their own style.

The NW recruitments consist of essays and stories. I have never seen a single worthwhile essay put up by NW on the walls of NITK. You'll find some essays and stories in the Vitruvian, but that still has nothing to do with NW. So then what is NW trying to prove by holding such recruitments? Clearly it has a grand literary image of itself, however it never gets down to putting it on paper. Humour and sarcasm are not the end all and be all of writing skills.

NW might say nothing worthwhile happens in college to write about. So it's not their fault. Strange, most of their members are part of some club or the other. So their own club events are ridiculed. Another point is that lots of things are going on in college, that can be written about. Very few people are aware about the grade conversion and transcript situation and its relevance. Students are not aware about internship opportunities. The fact that the STEP area was merrily ravaged for a naturopathy centre was mentioned in passing. NW prefers to be a ticker tape of what took place with a pinch of condescension that the 'literati' tend to possess. Was there an article that asked students their opinion? Did NW try and rouse any sentiments, even if it meant that students would forget in a while, at least that few minutes of outrage? That's what good writing is about, that's journalism, that what it means to be smart and aware of things around you. Has NW put up an article explaining about who and why we have to thank for the net connection, as well as why its so unbearably slow at times, and what people can do to make it faster? Or will NW just pass some wise-crack about the whole thing?

What? No one takes NW seriously? Of course not, NW doesn't take itself seriously! Its true, NW is supposed to be fun, but that doesn't mean its all fun and games. I don't make a claim that NW should stop making fun of poorly-handled events, that no one is interested in who's dating who and all, but why on earth does it limit itself to that?

I honestly believe NW can re-invent itself, depending on what vision it has for itself, or maybe merely trying to achieve the vision it had for so long.

The intention is merely to serve as a kind of wake-up call... I don't expect any response from NW, but sincerely hope it does include some more positive and useful writing than what it currently features.