UC Davis students now have one more source for campus news.
The Davis Beat debuted its first issue last Wednesday, delivering campus, city and world news, opinion pieces and a photo series.
According to Kevin Pelstring, managing editor and third-year environmental science and management major, the independent Davis Beat publishes 2,000 copies every two weeks and currently has about a dozen student writers.
Through officially registering as the Journalism Club on campus, editor in chief Adrian Glass-Moore, a third-year East Asian studies major, and Pelstring were able to receive approximately $1,675 in initial funding from the Club Finance Council (CFC) and $150 from the Student Assistants to the Chancellor. Since there is a cap on the amount a club can receive from CFC, the Davis Beat hopes to sustain itself in the future through advertisements. It costs approximately $460 to publish an issue.
“The idea for the Davis Beat came about because I felt that the campus could benefit from having more than one single news source,” said Glass-Moore. “I’m someone who reads the news regularly, and something that I find crucial is the ability to switch between media sources to get information. Readers aren’t restricted to only one local source of news.”
According to Glass-Moore, the publication does not plan to promote campus events or club activities and instead focuses on critical topics and investigative pieces.
“Because of the bi-weekly schedule, the Davis Beat could tackle issues thoroughly. If nothing important has happened on campus, we just won’t publish an issue,” he said. “We have no pressure to publish anything at all, and I think that gives us the ability to be selective in the stories we run and really focus on issues at the campus, city and state level that will have a tangible impact on a lot of students.”
Some students welcome the addition, while others remain apprehensive.
“It’s a good alternative to the publications that are already in place on campus and in Davis,” said Lynna Feng, a third-year animal science major.
Fourth-year chemical engineering major Kent Ly offered a different opinion.
“Due to their sudden appearance, I question their objectivity and credibility, but look forward to their progress as they become more established,” he said.
Currently, the Davis Beat is the product of the Journalism Club. According to Glass-Moore, the club was originally created as a place for students to discuss topics in journalism. However, due to the unclear objectives of the club, Glass-Moore is considering changing the club name to the Davis Beat in the future.
A web edition of the Davis Beat can be found at davisbeat.org.
STEPHANIE B. NGUYEN can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
