As editors and writers for The Collegian, we are, as is written in our tagline, SDSU’s student-run independent news source.
As editor-in-chief, the student media advisory board and I decided to change the language displayed from “newspaper” to “news source” as we begin to grow the different media ventures that are starting to take shape.
Collegian Media is made up of a diverse collective of people who come from a variety of backgrounds, beliefs and walks of life. Still, it is safe to say that we all have one thing in common: We care about reporting on the stories and ideas that affect our fellow students and the campus at South Dakota State University.
Journalism, as I define it, is a democratic duty that informs a community and helps hold it together. Journalism is an integral part of a functioning democracy, acting as a watchdog on the powers that be.
But it doesn’t matter what journalism is to me. It matters what journalism is to a community and the understanding of the power it carries for the members of that community. What would happen if local news disappeared? How would people know about church and community events? Information on local awards, elections and schools? What would be the glue that would keep a community together and informed?
As I take a moment to reflect during this National Newspaper Week, I see changes happening in how information is consumed. News no longer relies on the newsstand but on the device in our hands. However, the values that traditional newspapers were founded upon still hold expectations of accuracy, timeliness, neutrality, diversity and transparency.
That is why journalism matters.
That is why student journalism matters.
With a plethora of information easily accessible, it is essential to remember that some of those sources do not hold themselves to the same standards that journalists do. The Collegian, Collegian Media and KSDJ-FM, along with the School of Communication and Journalism, aim to teach young journalists these values before heading into the “real” world.
During this week that recognizes the impact that newspapers have had on communities all over the country, we urge you to examine your student newspaper’s effect on your campus community.
