The Daily Eastern News has become, in a sense, two publications. There’s the paper copy, along with dennews.com – but there is also the tabloid DENQUIRER (sic) that runs daily on dennews.com.

What are you talking about, Kevin? I never knew The DEN had a tabloid edition! Sure it does. In a lot of ways, the comments on dennews.com become the story themselves. They often breed much hatred, discrimination and carry with them much weight – but in words that aren’t based on fact, but on opinion.

This column goes out to those comments, which I read on a regular basis as more or less a form of entertainment.

It’s my way of taking them in. I’ve given up on taking a lot of things seriously in this world a long time ago. I’m not going to try to convince anyone that we work hard at The DEN.

I’m not going to try to convince anyone to come write for us. I am going to try to convince everyone to read this column with objectivity as I write it in online format. Look at the humanity, or lack thereof, that we’ve come to. Last thing I’ll say: I support the comments 131 percent. The Internet is the last frontier for freedom and it should stay as such – free of the Tim Couch’s and other regulators and terminators of such freedoms.

Viewing Comments 1-8

DENBASHER 15 posted 5:46 p.m. CST: You’re an egotistical barnabus who believes that by going on your own little crusade in your little column you’re going to solve the civil war that is the comments pages. Screw you and The DEN!

DENSupporter 15 posted 6:05 p.m. CST: I don’t know about you but he’s at least trying to offer a solution to a problem that has been splitting the school apart. Did you not read the part about reading the column for objectivity?

Imlisteningtoqueenrightnow posted 6:39 p.m. CST: It’s true; I read the comments for this stuff. Man Freddie Mercury is so rad. Nothing really matters.

Kevin Kenealy posted 7:07 p.m. CST: Do you get the idea? How far have we come? Is the newspaper only a reflection of The DEN staffers, or do the reactions of college students on other college newspapers play a role on that, as well? Are we here to help each other or to bring each other down?

Something that often is not understood, I think, is that everyone on campus has the ability to make the paper better. That’s not saying one doesn’t have the full right to criticize, but constructive criticism gets much more accomplished than pure criticism.

A newspaper that has the entire student body’s support would ideally become a much stronger paper than one with just our staff.

Although not every comment shows such displays of third-grade writing, it makes me wonder if people are reading for The DEN or the DENQUIRER. I inquire that we change our outlook.

Kevin Kenealy is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].