As I first considered journalism as a career option, it’s safe to say that I was blissfully unaware of the challenges facing my now-beloved industry.
As Gen Z turns more and more to social media as their primary news source, as distrust of reporters steadily mounts and as a quickly evolving media landscape forces journalists to adapt to every curveball, I can tell you one thing — journalism is not an easy profession to be in.
It is, however, a fulfilling one. In all 20 years of my life, I’ve never felt quite so passionate about something, or put so much of myself into a singular effort.
Being a journalist is vowing to be a public servant. I, and the entirety of the team at The Daily Beacon, believe that our job rests in informing our community so they in turn might make decisions that will positively shape our world.
Journalism has changed me as a person. It has broken down my echo chamber and brought me face to face with the stark reality of so many lives. My mind has been changed a million times over, and I would say that compassion, a virtue I previously knew by name only, has blossomed within my heart and grown.
That is what I hope our work does. That is what I think the Beacon is truly capable of. By bringing you honest information every day, we have extended our torch as far as possible. It is my hope that you, the reader, will grasp onto that torch firmly and then decide what to do with it. Will you pass it to the next person? Will you charge forward in enlightened action? Will you use that torch to light another’s? Or will you shine it to illuminate a path to further knowledge and seek deeper truth?
Lastly, journalism is incredibly critical to a healthy democracy, and it should be protected with fervor. Freedom of the press is a luxury many countries can only dream of, and here in America, that freedom is slowly falling under attack from every side. Truth can sting, and when it does, the reporter is often blamed for telling it.
This month, I have watched in horror as Indiana Daily Student, a renowned college newspaper, has been ordered to stop print publication by their own university. This attempt to censor a student media outlet is dangerous, and frequently over the past few weeks, I have put myself in the shoes of the IDS student journalists.
I cannot imagine the stress they are under or the betrayal they must feel. IDS, The Daily Beacon stands with you and condemns the actions of Indiana University Bloomington. Student media must be allowed (and encouraged) to flourish, or else the future of journalism will suffer.
Who will be there in minutes to cover student protests? Who will understand the issues students want information on? Who will learn the ropes of reporting and be allowed to try, succeed, fail and grow before entering the professional world?
I sure as hell will.
