Back in the Fall, Paul Wells took a read of the vast majority of Student Newspapers in the Canada. Not surprisely, the Sil failed to be considered the best paper in the Country. Most groups would understand they only one paper could be the best in the Canada and they may not be it. The Sil and the MSU President fired off angry letters to Paul Wells. Paul Wells responded by posting an email from the MSU President. At the time, I thought and I still believe it was a poor decision on the part of Paul Wells to engage in an argument with the MSU President on his blog here:
http://weblogs.macleans.ca/paulwells/archives/week_2005_11_13-2005_11_19.asp#001858
Paul Wells hit it dead on about how the relationship between the MSU President and the paper is a little bit of a problem considering the Sil is supposed to hold the MSU to account for things.
Is the Sil the best campus paper in Canada? Clearly in the minds of its editors — and, eerily, in the mind of the students’ union president they’re supposed to be covering — it is. I must tell them, in a gently collegial manner, that if they think they’re one of the best-looking campus papers in Canada then they really should get out more…
This was all in response to this article by Paul Wells: http://www.macleans.ca/switchboard/backpage/article.jsp?content=20051114_115599_115599
It got noticed elsewhere: http://www.studentlifecentre.com/2005/12/02/the-back-page-campus-journalism-awards/