DIT paper tigers reach a new pact

After some brinkmanship, the issue of who has control of the DIT Independent newspaper seems to have finally been settled. The friction between the DIT students' union and the paper's editor, Thomas Felle, as to who would have the last say about articles had its roots in last year's withdrawal of thousands of copies of the thenDIT Examiner, which the union said undermined the institute's quest for university status.

This year, Felle and his deputy threatened to resign if the union, headed by president Sarah McGovern, did not give them editorial control as mandated by a student council motion last year.

Now, however, all seems to be sweetness and light at the Kevin Street offices: a new contract has been signed between the two parties saying that the editor shall have editorial independence.

"I'm glad it was resolved," Felle says. "I'm here to do a job that I really want to do and I am glad I can keep true to the principles of journalism and reflect what's going on in DIT." A clause in Felle's contract that says he will "respect the confidentiality of the executive", but he denies this leaves the way open for back-door control by the union.

McGovern says the whole affair was a misunderstanding, as Felle had not been editor in the first place. She denied that the executive had been embarrassed into allowing Felle to have editorial control.