More than 100 student newsrooms around the country are writing editorials in support of the #SaveStudentNewsrooms movement, highlighting the struggles and importance of student media, on April 25.
Student newsrooms big and small are constantly facing difficult situations, including the loss of funding, preserving independence, downsizing staff and losing editorial freedom through censorship by their university’s administration.
In a time when both true and false information are nearly indiscernible at first glance, and spread so rapidly, it is even more important for the news to be accurate and fair. Accurate and fair reporting is born in school newsrooms where student journalists learn by doing what professional journalists do every day.
The college campus is not immune to the problems of the world, and the combination of people from many different social, political and economic backgrounds can lead to very real conflicts that must be reported on.
Recently, The Daily Orange of Syracuse University took the lead in extraordinary coverage of racism within the Theta Tau fraternity. Last semester, The Collegian reported on a student dressing in blackface, as well as white-supremacist activity on campus.
It was student journalists who were first on the scene of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting.
Whether it’s conflict on campus, collegiate sports or a Students’ Association meeting, college newsrooms report on everything from the eye-catching to the mundane. Most importantly, student newsrooms keep a record of one of the most important institutions in this country: education.
Students deserve to know where the university is putting their tuition money and what decisions the administration is making on their behalf. Student media also plays a vital role in recording pivotal moments in its university’s history.
The Collegian remains an independent publication from the university. We are fortunate to freely report on issues that matter to students, faculty and community members.
Every week, we work into the early hours of the morning to produce accurate, timely and important news which informs and educates the campus community. Many of us spend more time working at the newspaper than we do in class.
We, at The Collegian, stand in solidarity with student journalists across the nation in dedication to ethical journalism and our role in reporting on the truth while “writing the first drafts of history.”
#SaveStudentNewsrooms.
The Collegian Editorial Board meets weekly and agrees on the issue of the editorial. The editorial represents the opinion of The Collegian.
