[Imc] Octopus

[gillespie william k]

I have long wanted to start an alternative alternative local paper, even
if it's just one double-sided sheet of letter-sized paper, issued
irregularly, and distributed at random. Not that I aspire to slovenliness,
just that I believe one could put out a more substantial periodical than
the Octopus with a staff of one, a typewriter, and a trip to Kinkos. The
vacuum in this town of truly provocative print journalism, the false
promise that many of us have read into the Octopus' use of the marketing
term "alternative," is whistling.

I imagined the new paper would be called "The Liar," or "The Tattletale."

To put it usefully: it wouldn't have to involve a lot of time or expense
or labor or know-how, just some good journalism. It could also start small
and have room to grow.

I've felt this way since fall '98 when I spent a semester researching and
writing an article about nuclear weapons research at the U of I (and
making two rhet classes do the same (unwitting undergraduate research
assistants)), a topic I felt worthy of a community paper, hand-delivered it in
print and electronic form to the editor of the Octopus, shook his hand,
waited, sent a follow-up email, waited, sent a follow-up email offering to
do further revisions and research, waited. I felt that they should have
had the dignity to acknowledge their rejection of my article (I'm very
sensitive), but felt more strongly that I should have just photocopied it
and left stacks around town. Even if my reporting was flawed (I don't know
if it was or not, I'm just giving the editor the benefit of the doubt),
even a fallacious article on that topic would raise some interesting
questions. 

I'd love to hear other ideas for topics from other folks on this list, as 
the content seems like the place to start.

I'm willing to help out with this as writer, editor, proofreader,
enthusiast, devil's advocate, or guy who has to fold and staple the thing.

And I too have a time-management bipolar disorder causing me to vacillate
between manic episodes of agreeing to do too much and a depression-like
inability to keep up with my own commitments. Perhaps this is why I am
suggesting ways this could be done easily.

William

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