Journal-Sentinel Personifies Old Media

Maybe the editorial board at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel should learn about the Internet one of these days. Perhaps they should learn about different means of monitoring and gauging public opinion within their own community. Based on the paper's editorials on Marquette's nickname selection, these scribes have no clue about the community in which they reside.

First, lets jump into the WayBack Machine and take a look at what these folks coughed up in an editorial on 'Gold' from May 5:

"The change has also drawn much criticism from fans who believe Gold is an inadequate nickname. Keep in mind, however, that Golden Eagles drew similar criticism.

Gold is not an unreasonable choice. It is, of course, not just a color but a precious mineral and a symbol of high value. What's more, gold has had a historical presence at Marquette. Its colors are blue and gold; its former nicknames include the Golden Avalanche; and the student section of the Bradley Center during MU games is the Gold Rush.....

......So, though we believe the trustees should have left well enough alone, we don't believe the choice of Gold should at all prompt the blues or, actually, much furor at all."

This is laugh out loud funny. Could the MJS editorial board have misread the pulse of its community more dramatically on this issue?

Well, today they launched a new editorial stating that MU is finally doing the right thing by opening " the naming process to the entire Marquette community - grads, staff members, students."

What a load of crap from the MJS editorial board. This same point was at issue on May 5 when their last editorial on this matter appeared, yet these sages declined to bring it up then.

Now this sanctimonious bunch is taking MU to task because it "foolishly failed to leave matters there or, in the alternative, to bring to the entire MU community the issue of switching from Golden Eagles."

Please.

The MJS editorial board was foolish to ignore this point in the first place, using the majority of its May 5 editorial to pontificate on matters related to the Native American connotation of Warriors. To suit their limited, selfish agenda, the MJS editorial board missed the real issue: Marquette disengaged its community by unilaterally amending the nickname process to suit its own desired outcome.

Incredibly, the MJS misread the pending 'universal revolt over the athletic handle Gold'.

To people that actually participate in the community, it was not difficult to see this revolt coming.

Many editorial boards remain vital parts of their communities, offering thoughtful perspective and arguments that challenge convention and drive change. Others, like those at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, are content to disengage from their audience and rely on tired themes, further distancing themselves from the pulse of their community.

Milwaukee needs an alternative.