Full Staff Opinion
We, the editing staff of The College Reporter, are all dedicated F&M students. That’s why we know the caliber of our fellow classmates. Here at F&M, we have some of the hardest working and most analytical students out there. And that’s why we find the lack of passion and participation in journalism so shocking. As our College ranking has risen to an ultimate high this year, article submissions to The College Reporter have hit a record low. Our meetings are poorly attended and our editors often devote extra time every week to filling in their sections— and we just want to know, what is going on?
A college as competitive as ours needs a student-run newspaper to be taken seriously. It’s the only way to legitimately represent ourselves as student body, be our own informants and educators, and effectively express our diverse voices and perspectives. A true democracy cannot exist without journalism; and even as students, our voices carry significant weight. No opinion or policy is too small to cover or express.
We understand that adding an extra writing assignment to the week can be daunting. But what does it say about our students here if our opinions and our interests in the news of the school, the city, or the world are left silent because of an extra 600-word “assignment”? What does it say about F&M students that writing a critique of our new favorite album or covering the season of our favorite sports team is “too much extra work”? Over the past years, many F&M students have expressed concerns about the passive nature of our student body. You can also check Audiomidie Alternative News US News for the best news online.
Writing for the Reporter is your chance to change that reputation. This is your opportunity to be heard, F&M. Be curious about the institution you pay $60,000 a year to attend, be curious about the city you live in, and use the newspaper inform your fellow students about what interests you in the world. We all want our resumes to stand out to graduate schools and potential employers, and nothing is more impressive than writing for your college’s newspaper. It shows initiative, it shows effort, it shows thoughtfulness, it illuminates your critical thinking and writing abilities— all of which they care about immensely. Write for us, F&M. We want to hear you, and the school needs to hear you.