Dealing with an Anti-Greek Media

[CSUThetaCLock]

I was wondering how other college and university greek organizations have dealt with anti-greek media coverage either by student media or local? We have had an opinion writer for the student paper that made it a challenge to bash greeks weekly in his column and created bad press for our organizations on campus. Suggestions?

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Kappa Alpha Theta
Beta Gamma Chapter
Colorado State University
"Where twin stars shine bright!"
Live the dream - go Theta!

[This message has been edited by CSUThetaCLock (edited June 20, 2000).]

Originally posted by CSUThetaCLock:
We have had an opinion writer for the student paper that made it a challenge to bash greeks weekly in his column and created bad press for our organizations on campus. Suggestions?

I don't really have any pearls of wisdom to offer you, but your campus is definitely not alone in this. I went to the University of British Columbia and the student press was very anti-Greek and wrote a lot of bad press. I suppose that you could write to your national and let them know about it but I don't think you guys can really do anything. Most of these young turk writer-types have it in their mind that Greeks are nothing but beer drinking, immature, party Animals and NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING, no more how positive will ever change their mind. I suppose your members could write Letters to the Editor contradicting any negative columns (be sure to cite facts such as how much money your chapter raised last year for which charity, etc.), but having encountered this myself, I think that you are probably wasting your breath. I know that the reality sucks but that's life.

[33girl]

Get a huge contingent of Greeks to join the newspaper staff. If things happen that are bad news they have report it, but maybe that would at least cut down on the Greek-bashing editorials that have no point.

If your newspaper is available on-line, let your alums know and get them to write to the paper's advisor or better yet, the head of the journalism/comm dept. Money talks....

Journalists are supposed to be OBJECTIVE. If they are allowing this guy to spout off a bunch of unfounded views, the school is not doing its job in teaching him to be a competent journalist.

Originally posted by 33girl:
[B]Get a huge contingent of Greeks to join the newspaper staff. [B]

What an excellent idea, 33girl!!

[LXAAlum]

CSUTheta -
CSU's paper is available on-line, and yes, they have a very distinct anti-greek philosophy - I read a little bit about their staff (in the farewell editorials) - and, based on what I read, I can see why they are slanted in that direction.

Also, don't forget CSU's greek system has taken a beating of their own creation (3 fraternities in the last semester alone were suspended/closed/reorganized) - so, the grist mill is ripe for picking.

I would suggest that greeks start posting letters to the paper, from alumni and undergraduate writers, going over the positive influences the greeks had at CSU over the past year. I know the LXA Food Drive was a huge success, though not publicized at all.

There is an air of complacency at times when greeks do get frustrated with their lack of "positive" press - but, the question that chapters have to honestly answer is: how hard did you try to get the publicity you want? Good press won't just come to you, it has to take hard work to get out there. Bad press is easy - the masses feed off negative information. A sad commentary, I know, but that is where the challenge lies.

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Don't be your brother's keeper; rather, be your brother's Brother.

[This message has been edited by LXAAlum (edited June 20, 2000).]

[AKAtude]

The idea that 33girl suggested is a very good idea. I eventually became the Activities Editor of one of the newspapers on my campus (we had two) during my senior year. I must admit that the majority of the things I reported on centered around the greek community. Although we rarely got unfavorable media coverage to begin with, it does help to have greeks on the staff. I would encourage it.

[AlphaChiGirl]

I'm lucky enough to attend a school that isn't like that...whenever there's positive (or negative) news about the Greeks, we're always posted. For example, the community service performed during Community Outreach Day, or when a sorority's philanthropy is being recognized (for example, our work against domestic violence) is always covered. There's a sizable Greek population on the paper, and I think that's, honestly, the best bet.

As bad as this sounds, I think a big reason we get positive press at my school is because our school's paper is independent--meaning it has no connection with the administration (which is staunchly anti-Greek).

[This message has been edited by AlphaChiGirl (edited July 10, 2000).]

[DeltAlum]

I worked in TV news for a number of years, and I wrote a thing on media relations a couple of years ago:

Just a couple of points.

First, each house should have someone who is in charge of letting local media (campus or other) when they do good things.

Second, he/she should make it a point to make and stay in contact with someone in each of the local media.

The reason for the second is twofold. Number one is to help get the good things you do publicized. Number two is to have at least a somewhat friendly ear to listen to your side of a bad story and at least get the reporter doing the story to listen.

Reporters are supposed to be objective -- and most are -- but they're also human and have some preconceptions.

There are a lot more points I could make, but I think the important thing is to be proactive with your local media before a problem comes up.

By the way, Delts and some of the other Greek organizations at Colorado State got at least some good mentions after the unfortunate homecoming float situation following the Matthew Shepherd murder by being thoughtful and raising some money for the Shepherd family.

I guess I have to add one final word here. When you do something wrong, it's very easy to hide behind media bias and blame everything on news organizations. The best way to not have a problem with the media is don't screw up. Be good citizens.

Fraternally,
DeltAlum

On my yard we had an incident a few years back. I attend a nonHBCU campus. The members of Kappa Alpha Psi were having a probate in in front of our student center. An older, non African American woman, who passed by felt that the show was hazing and reported it. There was a story in our paper about it. A university employee who directs multicultural events is a member of a BGLO and valiantyly defended us and proceeded to explain in his article the purpose of a probate.

[prospectiverushee]

I think my school is very greek. Greeks here(Louisiana State University) have come under fire especially after the accident when the fraternity plegde died on Bid Night.

And it's true that the rest of the student body here doesn't hear anything good about the Greek System until something goes wrong. I can count on one hand the number of positive things I've read about the greek system since I've been enrolled at LSU(I've been here since Fall '98) But also during that time I've read countless negative things about the greek system( fights that have lead to arrest of fraternity members, reports of hazing etc) And now that the Office of Greek Affairs has come out with its annual chapter assement, the greek image is not going to get any better since two fraternities and one sorority or getting suspended.

I think that the school newspapers should try to be a little more open-minded because a lot of prospective greeks (such as myself) read the news paper and what the journalist say has a huge impact on us