More Competition for the Cardinal

Editors of UW-Madison's existing student newspapers, The Daily Cardinal and The Badger Herald, said they welcomed the competition. But they didn't accept Shea's description of their news pages as slanted.

"We personally do a fine job of presenting both sides of the issue," said Cristina Daglis, editor-in-chief of The Badger Herald, which itself was started more than 30 years ago as a conservative response to The Daily Cardinal.

"I get a little bit nervous about (any media outlet) that places a label of conservative or liberal on (itself). I would have a difficult time taking the news seriously."

Shea said his paper would offer five columnists and cover national news, health, technology, and local news with a twist he says is missing from other publications - an embrace of "conservative" topics. If College Republicans, for example, do something newsworthy, he said, such as visit military veterans in local hospitals, that story will get just as much ink as the other papers might give an anti-war rally.

"We think those stories have an equal right to be published and to have people read them," Shea said.

Shea also said there seemed to be "tremendous interest" in his newspaper, judging by the 50 or so responses to job ads in the first week. But Alexander Balistreri, editor-in-chief of the Daily Cardinal, said success would take more than that.

"I don't think it depends on the concept of the paper," Balistreri said. "The burden will be on the shoulders of those putting it out. If they do a good job, I think it can develop a successful niche on campus."