<#281 Feature>
Attractive CNU’s Media
By Kim Ji-eun, Tribune Reporter
Rhy Seung-hyi, Student Editor
Gang Ho-dong, Tribune Reporter
Kim Bo-bae, Tribune Reporter
This year is the 40th anniversary of the foundation of Chonnam Tribune, which published the first issue on July 15, 1968. In this issue, Chonnam Tribune takes time to look back over its past and try to find the ways to become a better English magazine in the future. Firstly, we examined the primary role of CNU’s campus media produced by the
Before the 1990s, many students were interested in media on campus because they had neither sufficient nor various media to obtain information and enjoy entertainment. These days, they can choose from many media to satisfy their taste and need in everyday life due to the development of media technology. Especially, the advent of digital media such the Internet and MP3s make students not use campus media and seemingly students are becoming indifferent to them.
CNU’s campus media, the Jeondae Shinmun, Chonnam National University Broadcasting (CUB) and Chonnam Tribune are produced by the CNU Press Center, and they have all been placed in a similar situation. They have lost their influential power over CNUians and seem to be separated from CNU students and the situation is getting serious. Chonnam Tribune examined the reasons for this current situation in order to find the ways to create a better situation and get closer to CNU members.
What makes students not use media? It is wrong to blame students for neglecting the media. As they can get information freely by using various mass media like the Internet, the media needs to provide useful information and distinctive contents that are different from other media outside campus. Unless the campus media has sufficient concerns about the students’ wants and needs about the matters which affect their everyday lives, they cannot attract CNU members as an audience. We have to reconsider whether we have played such a role in the media. Particularly, in the globalization age, Chonnam Tribune, as the sole English magazine at CNU, needs to provide practical news and information related to international students on campus and exchange students at sister universities abroad. If that happens, students will use the media and continue to be interested in them.
We must also examine whether or not the media as a representative channel to promote communication and generate opinions about particular campus issues at CNU. Some people think that the media cannot promote communication among the members of CNU. Accordingly, the media needs to provide appropriate and up-to-date news and accurate and reliable information so that CNUians can communicate with each other. They make every effort to make a flow of information and opinions in establishing common agendas that reflect public opinion at CNU.
In order to solve the problems mentioned above and get close to CNU members, the CNU Press Center reformed its homepage and opened a news portal, CONG, which is the abbreviation of CNU Opinion and News Gate, expecting to get CNU members more interested in the media in March, 2007. As the online news medium is not restricted by physical factors such as time and place, it has infinite possibilities to play an important role as a representative communicational channel. We can gather more information and give its users more prompt and dynamic reactions using the convenience of the Internet. If we try to provide useful and interesting contents through CONG, CNU members will be interested in our campus media. CNUians, visit CONG and enjoy all the contents of the Jeondae Shinmun, CUB and Chonnam Tribune.
<Round Table Talk>
Moderator: Let’s begin with talking about your thought on the media of the
Jung Youn-ho: I think the media has a few regular readers or listeners respectively. I often read Chonnam Tribune and listen to music broadcasted by CUB walking around campus. I, however, hardly read the Jeondae Shinmun and I don’t even know when it is released.
Park Se-hyang: I regularly read the Jeonondae Shinmun and Chonnam Tribune. I feel glad to be able to hear beautiful songs from speakers of CUB on my way to school. But it is unlikely to have a large audience.
Moderator: If so, what do you think are the reasons of this situation?
Jung Youn-ho: University students are very busy preparing for getting a job after graduation. They seem to be quite indifferent to campus matters and issues at CNU. Naturally, they don’t have regular access to the campus media.
Han Kyung-moon: I agree. Most students usually read Daehaknaeil and professional English magazines to obtain useful information concerning various contests and employment.
Kim Su-ji: I know many students don’t have interest in our campus media. I think it is the best way to attract students by improving the quality of articles. So, we are trying to provide useful and practical information and interesting content.
Moderator: I agree with Su-ji. Then, what do you think about Daehaknaeil?
Kim Su-ji: Daehaknaeil is an enviable magazine, but I think Jeondae Shinmun has its own role as a campus media at CNU. Daehaknaeil provides a lot of information related to contest, but it can’t give CNU students news about CNU or reflect the students’ thoughts and opinions through the magazine.
Park Se-hyang: I think so, too. The primary role of our campus media is to reflect our opinions about particular campus issues at CNU. If we have no campus media, it would be terrible.
Moderator: Finally, what are the ways to make better media?
Han Kyung-moon: I would like to talk to you, the staffs of the media, that you never mind the number of readers or listeners. It is sufficient to represent other students and to provide a variety of information.
Park Se-hyang: I think the media has their own colors different from other universities’ campus media. The best way is to keep their distinctive features. I hope they should pay attention to human rights and peace because Gwangju is the city of democracy, human rights and peace.
Moderator: Thank you for your valuable opinions. We will make every effort to make better campus media at CNU.
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Moderator: Lee Han-na (Head Student Editor, Chonnam Tribune)
Participant: Kim Su-ji (Head Student Editor, Jeondae Shinmun)
Han Kyung-moon (Senior, Dept. of Life Science)
Park Se-hyang (Sophomore, Dept. of Early Childhood Education)
Jung Youn-ho (MA, Graduate Student, Dept. of Computer Engineering)