Since being named Editor-in-Chief in March, I’ve asked myself what student journalism meant to me.
As this question bounced around my head these past few months, a stronger and more ardent answer formed. Most recently, our country has its eyes on college campuses involved in student protests at multiple universities. Columbia, the University of North Carolina and Arizona State are just some institutions that have made national headlines.
The Columbia Spectator, UNC’s Daily Tarheel and ASU’s State Press have been covering the protests, arrests and other details regarding the situations at hand. I’d argue that the various outlets outweigh any large-scale news media source in importance in covering the events, as they offer much more intimate coverage.
Even outside of protests, student journalism holds a shadow for something I believe to have such a larger figure. Just weeks ago, the staff of the Indiana Daily Student held a one-day walkout, believing that their university “won’t support student media.”
“Our goal is to provide the community and the university a glimpse of a possible future without the IDS as it exists today — a future we are fighting to avoid,” Nic Napier and Salome Cloteaux wrote.
That quote went into the galvanization of my answer to “What does student journalism mean to me?” Simply put, student journalism means everything to me. I started at the Torch in October 2021 and have worn many hats while working here. As I embark on my fourth and final year at the newspaper and Ferris, I feel a heightened sense of urgency to uphold our small slice of independent student journalism.
Not only do I have a duty to our readership to present quality stories and columns through our four sections, but there are 93, going on 94, years of journalistic history to honor. I’m a firm believer that without student journalism, the country and the universities across it are worse off. This includes Ferris.
These past months and weeks have reaffirmed my love for student-run newspapers and student journalism as a whole. My biased take is that the world needs student journalism. I’m more than privileged to be able to help tell and then publish the stories of our campus.
For all Ferris students, faculty, alum or community members, this paper is here for you. If you believe you have a story to tell, no matter how tough the subject matter, we’re here to listen and tell the story.
Before we start our journey into the 2024-25 school year, I’d be remiss to not express my gratitude to the following folks.
To our readership, thank you for supporting student journalism. We wouldn’t be around if it weren’t for you. To my former EICs Brendan, Noah and Jess, I wouldn’t be here without your trust and confidence. I can’t thank you enough. To our advisor, Dr. Stack, thanks for pushing me to write for the newspaper. To my staff, I’m excited to see what we can do. Let’s give our campus something to read about.
CE TM/RS/AM