I’ve been on the Pleiad for four years now. That’s roughly six semesters, not including the two semesters I plan to finish my undergraduate career with.
In all that time, I didn’t foresee becoming the Editor-in-Chief of the Pleiad, although I was warned. As a first-year staff writer, coworkers and mentors told me they could see me in leadership, and hoped I would apply to be an editor. Two years later, they encouraged me to step into the position I now hold.
Without them, I would not have had the courage to fill the shoes of my predecessors. Now I’m here, and I can only hope I’m ready.
Standing for the Threatened
When the Pleiad published an editorial reaffirming this publication’s commitment to inclusive storytelling and DEI in February, we meant every word.
Representation is the point of journalism – it is a field which ultimately works to accurately tell the stories of our communities. Pleiad journalists define what future generations will see when they look through the archives of Albion College. But we are not passive actors in our campus community.
People all over the U.S. are being violently taken by masked officers in unmarked cars to prison camps, the largest of which was once a Japanese internment camp.
Proposals cutting funding for education programs like TRIO, a program which supports many of Albion College’s students, continue to roll through the White House. Last semester, Planned Parenthood’s Jackson location closed after funding cuts handed down by the Trump administration targeted the organization.
National issues actively impact our campus community, and unless these stories are told at their most local level from a diverse array of voices, the chance to take action will pass us by. We can only act on what we understand – and I seek to bring understanding.
True, accurate storytelling calls for responsibility, and as Uncle Ben said:
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
The power we hold as a respected, trusted news source is something I strive to use carefully and empathetically.
Earning Your Trust
Though the Pleiad is an excellent source of local news maintained by an experienced team of student journalists, mistakes are inevitable. As I look back on pieces I’m proud of, or even pieces that have won awards, I find myself cringing at some of my writing choices.
I think I speak for everyone on the Pleiad when I say that if and when we make a small mistake in the reporting or writing process, it sticks with us for a long time, and we vow never to make it again. Even now, I am learning.
But our readers don’t always know that. You trust us to be diligent in our reporting and accurate in our quotations, but our process is a mystery to most.
Sometimes, I hear from someone that they hesitate to speak to the Pleiad, often out of a fear of misrepresentation. They remind me that it is our responsibility to help you trust us.
It is not only my goal to bring clarity to the inner workings of our campus and community, but to our work itself. Not only do I welcome questions and discussions of our practices, but I hope to actively engage you, dear reader, in the act of truth-seeking.
Ultimately, the Pleiad is your student newspaper.
‘Anyone Can Wear the Mask’
There’s something I have to confess: I’m not an English major. Neither am I a political science major. Yet, I find myself empowered to publish my opinions, syntax and the edited work of my peers.
The Pleiad staff is diverse. We hail from a variety of backgrounds, years and programs of study. Even as I begin my time as Editor-in-Chief, I am curious to know who will come after me. And yes, it could be you.
You can become a part of our staff. You can rise to the occasion of editorship. And if the opportunity never presents itself, you can make your voice heard by submitting a guest column or writing a letter to me, the editor.
To quote Spider-Man in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018):
“Anyone can wear the mask. You can wear the mask. If you didn’t know that before, I hope you do now.”
I’m not alone, that much is for sure. I stand on the shoulders of a dedicated team of editors and journalists, walking a road paved by a loyal alumni network spanning decades.
Despite the Spider-Man references, I promise, I am taking this position seriously. Thank you for reading; I can’t wait to swing into this year, this new role and this new responsibility.
Leave a Reply