I know what my intentions were when I applied to become a columnist for the Independent Florida Alligator. I was an avid reader of the student newspaper, and I was tired of always reading fluff columns about pop culture. I wanted to discuss deeper topics, and I thought that would be a small contribution toward making the world a better place.
Well, I started writing things that the editors at the Alligator disliked, and to fight back they would edit the writing heavily. I was told that it started specifically after I wrote this piece.
These were fellow students that I had never met in person, and at the time I had no idea about their intentions, so I simply communicated my concerns to the Opinions Editor frequently. Eventually their strategy became so obvious that I had to arrange a meeting in person.
I was ultimately given the position of Opinions Editor precisely because I showed that I cared enough to speak up, and I might not have had that opportunity were it not for their schemes.
Below I have posted a link to the original Google Document for one of my columns as I wrote it, as well as a link to the column as it was finally published. All I can say is, there must have been some serious Justin Bieber fans in the newsroom that day. In particular, the added, “I just don’t know anymore,” sounds more like the internal grumbles of a student who wants to get home early than anything that I wrote.
Original: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-AKSpkpkiYEhKJG1E6Bt8TpM_pAiPx-Zpj8Ze3MG93w/
After editing: https://www.alligator.org/article/2013/02/real-art-isn-t-taken-seriously
If you would like to read some of my more enjoyable work from the Alligator, you may do so by following these links:
Heat is fleeting; let’s hear it for Higgs
I agree with scientists: Mars or bust