Unprintable

"I've been increasingly disturbed with what has been going in the editorial section of Cougar lately."

"The Cougar abandoned journalistic pride and shamed itself."

These are only a few of the complimentary comments our readers have written. Some complained because we didn't cover this event or that one as thoroughly as they would have liked. Some complained because we allow our columnists to freely voice their opinions.

However, what most of these readers don't realize is if we played by their rules and printed eight pages of public-relations jargon every day, their letters would never have been printed.

One of the dubious tasks the editors at the Cougar have is deciding which stories to cover and which to drop. It's kind of like what your mother used to tell you when you were a kid, being pressured by all of your influential, extremely cool friends: No, not "Eat your macaroni," but "You can't please everyone all the time." The Cougar is indeed here to serve the campus, and we do that to the best extent possible. It is a two-way street, though.

Many complaints about events that don't get covered can be handled simply: Get the information in earlier than the day it takes place. We don't discriminate against minorities, part-time students, flamenco dancers or smelly people who wear plaid. We only ask for ample time to get the story covered. Despite cries of "Print what we wanna see!" The Cougar editors are ultimately responsible for what goes in the paper. Newsworthiness is determined by a number of factors, including public response.

Thanks, and please keep writing us!