U.S. News & World Report announced last week the launch of a new college blog that aims to highlight the work of student journalists.

The college blog, called "The Paper Trail," consists of articles written in college newspapers from across the country.

"There are ways to find interesting stories about the rest of the world. Why not have a place to read about colleges, too?" Elizabeth Green, a writer for the blog, said in an interview with The Badger Herald. "Student journalists often go unrecognized, and this is a way to show off those talents."

One example of the blog's use, according to Green, would be in cases like the controversy surrounding the Duke University lacrosse team last spring, in which three team members were charged with first-degree sexual assault. Green said people from across the country would have been intrigued to see what student writers at Duke had to say — instead of relying solely on national newspapers.

In choosing stories to be featured on The Paper Trail, writers search the Internet for stories that strike them as interesting. The editors also accept input from college newspaper editors who think a particular story will interest readers.

In addition to generating student interest, Green said the blog could further affect how high school students select which colleges or universities to attend.

While U.S. News & World Report already publishes annual academic rankings of U.S. colleges, Green noted that students could turn to The Paper Trail as an additional source of input by viewing stories written by college writers.

Although UW communication arts lecturer Bill Kirkpatrick called the blog a good website, he said he is waiting to judge its actual usefulness to students.

"It's well-written; it's witty," he said. "Whether it is a resource to give them the ambition to take control of their own college life is left to be seen."

Kirkpatrick added he would also be interested in further exploring the site.

"I may subscribe to it for a while," he said. "My hope is that they would sprinkle in the occasional item to motivate students to do something instead of just being amused by it."

As critics speculate over the blog's success, some UW students voiced similar sentiments, adding they doubt whether they would ever use it.

Some students said since they lead such busy lives, it might be difficult to find time to check a daily blog.

"I barely have time to read my own college's newspapers, let alone those from across the country," UW freshman Garret Williamson said.

Kirkpatrick, however, said students are constantly browsing the Internet, and they probably do have the time to look at this type of information.

"[Students are] spending more and more time online," he said, adding the success of the blog "would depend on how effectively U.S. News & World Report could form an identity."

Kirkpatrick added websites like Facebook, that allow students to create an identity, are very effective, and U.S. News should consider that factor when maintaining The Paper Trail.

"One of the things that made Facebook so popular is they allow students to create an identity for themselves," he added. "It allows them to create their own social networks, rather than speaking for them, like U.S News is doing."

The blog can be found at www.usnews.com/papertrail.