We all know that sex and violence sell like hot cakes, but should they work so well on supposedly educated people? Although the idea of sensationalism in the news has been covered numerous times in other forms of media, I believe it is important to apply this topic to our student population in particular.
I cannot say how many students do not even hesitate when passing a Nicholls Worth newspaper stand on campus, but I will bet it is almost half. Why are students not reading the paper they pay for? Is it terrible writing? That seems doubtful considering the average newspaper is written at the 10th grade level. The Nicholls Worth is written slightly above that because our audience should be reading well above that mark. Is it the length of the articles? Probably not, taking into account the fact that our articles are about the same length as those in daily newspapers. In fact, I would be willing to bet that most are shorter than the average publication. Is it that the paper is boring? Ding, ding, we have a winner, Johnny.
Students, hopefully, will not encounter a paper at Nicholls with a front-page headline that reads, “4 Students Slain at Student Union.” I know I do not want to attend a school that would have that kind of crime to worry about, and I believe most of the students here would not want that either. However, they want a paper that reflects that type of environment. We all like happy, wonderful things to happen in our own lives, but when it comes to reading about what is happening to others, we want as much action and excitement as we can get. Whenever people sit around and chat with their friends, their conversations are not highlighted by tales of high-speed car chases, but by the everyday, mundane occurrences of their lives. Students around the campus are not aware of pertinent issues like fee increases, voting times and a new university president because they do not spend the time to read the articles written for their benefit; all because the articles do not “appeal” to young readers. However, when it comes time for the $120 fee increase for full-time students this fall, Jessica Toups’ article in the last issue of the Nicholls Worth will seem a lot more interesting than a gang shooting in Los Angeles because the fee increase will have a direct impact on our lives.
Unfortunately, blood and gore attract people’s attention. Even The Weather Channel has succumbed to this money making scheme. Whoever thought the weather would be a hot topic for discussion? However, The Weather Channel has found a way to spice up events that have been occurring for billions of years. A person cannot even check the forecast without seeing advertisements for “Storm Stories,” hair raising footage of real-life catastrophes caused by Mother Nature. Their recent coverage of Tropical Storm Bill was almost comical. We were bombarded with scenes from what looked like Hurricane Andrew, the Category 4 storm that ripped through south central Louisiana over 10 years ago, while the words “Tropical Storm Bill” dramatically flew in front of these images. What a brave hero that weather man was who dared stand atop the Morgan City seawall for such an event early last week. Not to say that other areas east of the storm, like New Orleans and Biloxi, did not receive a boat-load of rain. However, Morgan City has seen worse storms on a typical summer afternoon. Where was The Weather Channel the morning of July 4 for one of the worst storms I have seen in months?
Ironically, the people this article was really written for will not read it because it will be just another boring article in our school paper. But I still want to send a little message out to them: When the news does not seem so interesting, just take a look at your own life and realize that even the least engaging fact in the newspaper is probably more engaging than what happened to you yesterday.