Sex toys. Whipped cream. Bondage. Caught your attention? Of
course. Everybody loves to read about sex.
Sex columns have become popular features over the last few years
in college publications across the nation.
These aren’t your ordinary, boring, health-related kind of
sex columns. No ““ instead there are humorous pieces about
important educational issues, like the ins and outs of oral sex, or
how to include food in sexual activities with your significant (or
not) other.
Renowned campus newspapers, like the Yale Daily News and the
Daily Californian, have aroused the interest of national press due
to the raunchy, carefree content of their columns, aimed at
grabbing the attention of readers and generating talk on
campus.
But some press pundits have criticized these columns, suggesting
they reflect how college newspapers are becoming increasingly more
interested in providing entertainment instead of straight news.
Paul VonBlum, a lecturer for the UCLA Department of
Communication Studies and a political activist for more than 40
years, said newspapers should provide both news and entertainment,
but at present veer too much toward the latter.
“The balance needs to be shifted back toward hard news and
commentary,” he said. “The entertainment focus should
be less significant, but not altogether nonexistent.”
VonBlum said though entertainment sections and humorous columns
are interesting, they should not compete with coverage of campus
and national issues.
“Such features do take away from the serious nature of a
campus newspaper,” he said.
The Yale Daily News publishes the most notorious of the sex
columns, penned by self-titled “sexpert” Natalie
Krinsky.
Krinsky has received so much media coverage in the last year as
a result of her steamy column that she now has an agent.
Yale Daily News Editor in Chief Rebecca Dana said the inclusion
of Krinsky’s semimonthly column last year did little to
change the purpose of the campus publication.
“Natalie’s column does not overshadow our
paper’s other content,” she said. “It does not
turn our paper solely into entertainment, but it is
entertaining.”
Dana said the only noticeable difference between the newspaper
prior to Krinsky’s column and after its inclusion was a large
increase in the amount of traffic on the Yale Daily News Web
site.
“At one point we were the 10th most searched Web site on
Google search engines,” she said. “A good deal of
people are still picking up the paper to read about regular
news.”
Ron Lin, editor in chief of The Daily Californian at UC
Berkeley, said his publication’s weekly column “Sex on
Tuesday” does not take away from the seriousness of the
newspaper because campus readers are interested in exploring issues
related to sex.
“We don’t serve the same news audiences as national
dailies like the New York Times, so features like this are not out
of place in a college newspaper,” he said.
“Besides, people are still picking up the paper for what
happens on campus ““ that is the bread and butter of student
journalism.”
The Daily Bruin ran a sex column in its Viewpoint section from
the latter end of the 2000-2001 school year until June 2002, when
columnist Ben Lee Handler left the newspaper. The column is on hold
for now, said Editor in Chief Cuauhtemoc Ortega.
“We’re working to find a place for it in the future,
because it was a popular feature,” he said.
Some critics say college newspapers have different roles today
in comparison to those they served decades ago.
VonBlum, for instance, recalls his time at UC Berkeley during
the 1960s when student publications were part of a largely
politicized, agitational era.
“Newspapers then were at the forefront of activism,
raising powerful issues relevant to students and the nation,”
he said.
In comparison, newspapers today are less active and
confrontational, VonBlum said, even though issues such as war,
racism, sexism and poverty still plague the nation.
“Students are more complacent today about the situations
in Iraq and Korea because unlike the Gulf War, Vietnam or other
conflicts, students don’t seem to think there’s a
realistic chance that they’ll have to serve in the
conflict,” said Tim Groeling, assistant professor of
Communication Studies.
Arvli Ward, UCLA student media director, said these changes are
largely due to differences in the social climate.
“College papers then were much more free-wheeling and
probably read like alternative publications,” he said.
“Today, they are a great deal more professional and
polished.”
Ward defined the purpose of college press today: “College
newspapers provide their campus with news and information,”
Ward said. “A town as big and sophisticated as UCLA needs its
paper and needs its media.”
According to sociology professor Steve Clayman, parallels can
also be drawn to the way alternative publications like the L.A.
Weekly have changed over time.
“Big city alternative weeklies have evolved over
time,” he said. “They have become less centered on
political issues, and are more focused on popular
culture.”
Students are certainly divided on whether the Daily Bruin serves
as entertainment or news.
“The Daily Bruin is primarily for entertainment ““ I
read it while I’m having breakfast and at the same time
it’s educational,” said Veronica Pardo, a second-year
English and French student.
Others use the paper to stay in touch with the world.
“It’s a good way to stay in touch with the world
since I don’t watch much TV,” said Katie Bishop, a
third-year psychology student.