Challenge to organizational authority, publicly presented in the local newspaper, can be either enlightening or trying for organizational managers and their public relations staff, depending on their viewpoint. Using a large public university as the organization, a study looked at these challenges and at what factors determine whether an organizational member who chooses to dissent publicly in the community press is more characteristically a power and control political player or a whistleblower. A content analysis of 144 newspaper articles (news and features) published between 1971 and 1986 in a community newspaper in the University of Missouri-Columbia area showed that public political behavior on the campus appears to be a group activity for the purpose of a power or control advantage, which challenges the idea that the dissenters are motivated by altruistic reasoning. Findings also indicate that the political language used in the dissent was opinionated, abstract, and presented negative aspects of the topic or problem instead of providing solutions. These language findings appear to support the view that dissenters are attempting to prevent rather than bring about change. (Four tables of data are included, and 24 references are appended.) (MS)