In the first editorial of the year (if you’re not one of the first years, who have already had the pleasure of my company for a full week) I am supposed to make grand promises. I am supposed to guarantee that Perdeby will have its greatest year yet, that we will strive to bring you only the best in campus news, student lifestyle and entertainment articles. And while I am confident that all of that is incontrovertibly true, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, and my own new philosophy on love, I will say only this: let’s take in one edition at a time, shall we? Jumping in head first, your heart on your sleeve … well, that can end badly. That can turn messy and disappointing.
Before we proceed with this, before we get to know each other better, I have a few things I would like to get off my chest, if you wouldn’t mind? This way, we both know what we’re getting into.
There is a rumour going around (and when I say rumour I mean the kind of rumour that people have turned into stone cold fact) that I am secretly pushing an AfriForum agenda through this newspaper because the chairperson of AfriForum Youth at Tuks is my cousin. I don’t know where this rumour came from, or how much crack the person who spread it is on, but I am not related, nor have I ever been related to, the UP chairperson of AfriForum Youth. Nor am I interested, even remotely, in advancing their agenda. In fact I could care less about what AfriForum is trying to do. I could care less what any of the politically active societies on campus are trying to do. As anyone who was paying attention last year would know, I think politics on campus is all a bit of a joke and I regard it with weary cynicism. Weary, because even though I personally couldn’t care less, professionally I have to care. Because politics on campus constitutes a large part of the news that Perdeby covers. Because you, the reader, have a right to know what the SRC is up to. I would never ever let my personal political opinions slant the way we cover politics on this campus or in any way bias the articles we write.
Is it true that AfriForum has received more coverage than other societies in the past? Yes, it is. The reason for this is simple: because they send out press releases. Currently, they are busy accusing the university of racism and they’re embroiled in a messy court case with UP regarding last year’s SRC election results. Both of these are newsworthy stories. I do not see other societies generating this much news. It isn’t my fault, and it certainly is not evidence of some conspiracy, or of a pro-AfriForum agenda, if other organisations on this campus are incapable of running a successful press office. Maybe if they had active media relations capabilities they wouldn’t have to invent petty rumours about me. We work with fact here, not opinion, and I have never published an article which has attempted to push any agenda, least of all a pro-Afrikaans, Christian-conservative one. That is the last corner you will find me defending, trust me.
Thank you for letting me clear that up.
But now that you know me a little better, maybe you want to read a few articles? Maybe you want to go see our awesome Rag page? Rag is after all the best party of the year, even if this year attendance was a little lacklustre. Or maybe you want to read our article on Ienk? Or see our coverage of the Varsity Cup?
Maybe you want to follow us on Twitter @perdebynews? Maybe after you’re done reading, we could go for a drink and forget about fluffy, sentimental Valentine’s Day for a while? And maybe later, I’ll introduce you to my friends …
Now, can we make out?
Beyers
PS Tweet me things @PerdebyEditor.
