Dear State News Editorial Managers and Staff:

I am writing to ask that you again re-consider your policy concerning the non-compete clause in your contracts with State News staffers. I believe your mistake lies in seeing publications that complement yours as your competitors, when you should instead do everything you can to support the goal of making Michigan State University a media-rich environment, where students benefit from many media choices.

You enjoy a unique status in the field of journalism:

• You are an independent entity. Yet you receive an estimated half-million dollar subsidy from MSU students. (That's on top of your advertising revenue.)
• Your stated mission as a non-profit is to provide quality news to the MSU campus and provide valuable experience to the next generation of journalists. Yet you are acting more like a monopolistic for-profit corporation trying to squeeze out the competition.

The interior of the new State News building in the old Gap store in East Lansing. Photo by Hutch

The good news is that your economic advantages provide you stability and the resources to do quality work. But the danger in such success is the tendendency to become safe, smug and soft and to wield your economic clout for your own advantage and not for the good of your readers. Instead of remaining alert to those dangers, your non-compete policy suggests you should work harder to fulfill your responsibilities as a non-profit organization given special tax breaks in exchange for serving your readers and the next generation of journalists studying here.

SpartanEdge.com is a for-profit (or "for-loss," in this case) entity. But we promise never to act like corporate fat cats that seek to squelch other voices.

We believe in unfettered encouragement for the wide range of lively and important publications that are needed to serve a Big 10 university like Michigan State. Even if we are lucky enough someday to be able to do so, we will never use the lure of a paycheck to hold our staffers hostage.

Given your non-profit status, your altrustic mission statement and your cushion of a half-million dollars in subisidies each year, why can't you do the same?

Respectfully,

Bonnie Bucqueroux
De facto publisher
SpartanEdge.com

return to SpartanEdge.com home page