To the Editor:

What Michael Barbaro and Charles Forelle (“YCC’s misbegotten alliance threatens free expression,” 2/7), and many other critics of the YCC-YaleStation merger fail to realize is the nature of YaleStation’s relationship with its affiliated media groups.

YaleStation currently has no control over the content of any of the aforementioned media groups. YaleStation is acting as a service provider, offering the technology that these groups desire for their Web sites. These groups can exist without YaleStation; indeed, WYBC and Turn it Up have been operating their own web sites for quite some time without it. Each, as well as subsequent affiliated groups in the future, have the choice to use or not to use the resources offered by YaleStation.

As far as the Yale Herald article cited in Barbaro and Forelle’s column, we find it difficult to believe that two individuals who have such vast “experience” in news editing could not recognize the article as the slanted, sensational, and poorly researched piece that it is.

As for the quotations cited, we offer a few points to think about. How does the writer of an article that focuses so much on Teli fail to contact, let alone mention the people responsible for its new organizational structure, programming schedule, and general range of content?

We feel that before YaleStation becomes pegged as a hostile corporation, these allegations need to be cleared not by the YCC or by Alexander Clark ’04, but by those of us who are directly involved in the day to day management of our respective organizations.

Simeon Papacostas ’04

Mary Bennett ’02

February 7, 2002

The writers are co-presidents of Turn it Up.