Speak

[Ibby]

Today is a first for TAS.
Today, a newspaper, written by students, run by students, and most importantly overseen by students, begins its first run.
Today, the administration no longer controls our media. Today, we are exercising our rights, not as Americans or Taiwanese or Chinese but as human beings, to a free and open press.
Today, we begin a new chapter for Taipei American School.
Speak is an independent newspaper, founded in protest upon libertarian and free ideals, on a libertarian base, to provide an alternative to the school-run media.
Speak is not an anarchist newspaper. Speak is not a punk propaganda magazine.
Speak is a free and open forum to which any Taipei American School student, teacher, or administrator may contribute. Speak is an internationally-aware, rational, mature libertarian newspaper meant to appeal to both student and faculty, both youth and adult demographics. Speak is an outlet, at once creative and political, at once artistic and concrete. Speak is meant to provide a way for students to express themselves through art, through creative writing, through political writing, through school journalism, and through graphic design.
Speak is not just a newspaper. Speak is a community. Anybody may submit, anybody may join the staff, anybody may give their two cents. Speak is a newspaper for you.
But Speak is, above all else, free. Speak is not my newspaper. Speak is your newspaper. It is our newspaper. Speak is for all of us to write for, and all of us to read. And it is censored by nobody.
Do you smell that? That’s the smell of freedom.

I'm starting an independent school newspaper. I'm fed up with the one run by the administration.
That's my draft of the opening article. I hope to go to press next week, if I get enough people to submit articles.

[TheMercenary]

You should ask for an occassional guest editorial from a member of The Cellar and then publish it in your paper under the heading:

And From The Cellar We Have This

[DanaC]

I think that's an excellent opening statement Ibby. Well done. very brave thing to try and get off the ground, I wish you the very bestof luck with it. One minor point:

Speak is an independent newspaper, founded in protest upon libertarian and free ideals, on a libertarian base, to provide an alternative to the school-run media.

I think that sentence would work better if you changed base to basis.

X Dani

[Ibby]

i thought about basis rather than base there. i went with base.
third opinion on this anyone? i could go either way.

[Chocolatl]

I think I'd just cut that bit, and leave it as "founded in protest upon libertarian and free ideals to provide an alternative to the school-run media."

Good luck with the paper!

[Clodfobble]

I agree with Chocolatl, it's redundant to say it is founded on both libertarian ideals and a libertarian base/basis. I'd also add commas just to make sure it's clear:

"...founded in protest, upon libertarian and free ideals, to provide an alternative to the school-run media."

[glatt]

Ibram, I think this is a great idea. I hope you have wild success with it.

Oh, and I imagine that founding an independent school newspaper would look great on a college application.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Libertarians.

[ZenGum]

Bruce .... !!!!! Love it.

[Ibby]

I agree, except for the rich part.
More like, anarchy for reasonable people, or something like that.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Go for it, Ibram. It will be a worthy thing to try, though it will not be entirely smooth sailing.

[rocketjsquirrel]

is there an electronic version of your paper? would like to see.

[ZenGum]

Welcome Rocketjsquirrel!

So... how'd you come up with that name?

Ibram, how's the paper going? Why don't you start a lonely-hearts column in it?

I always wanted to see a lonely hearts column with three classifications: Men seeking Women, Women seeking Men, and Odds and Sods.

[vivant]

Originally Posted by Ibram

I'm starting an independent school newspaper. I'm fed up with the one run by the administration.
That's my draft of the opening article. I hope to go to press next week, if I get enough people to submit articles.

Admirable! Best of luck with it - have you printed your first issue of yet?

[Ibby]

I'm hoping to go to press thanksgiving week, but... it might have to wait till the week after, if i can't get all the submissions in