In its 125 years of publication, the Clarion has witnessed and reported on so many historical events that Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” barely covers them. The Clarion archives go back to 1899, holding a strong tradition of student journalism and everything that makes it so important.
From where we stand a century and change later, it is clear why those long-gone students chose to print that first edition — to find a voice. Student-run papers open up doors for students, a place to voice their opinions, share relevant news for young people and even make space for activism.
Without student journalism, especially in the pre-social media age, it would be incredibly difficult to spread information across campus and keep students informed on the goings-on of a university at every level. Where else can you find information about the administration’s misdeeds, student government updates and the newest local bands all in the same place?
Even in the social media age, student journalism is a bulwark against the constant misinformation fed through apps by advertisers and influencers. Student journalists see these same claims their peers see and ask, what’s the story behind this? They get to see the world from the same perspective and ask the questions that need asking to combat misinformation.
The beauty of student journalism is that it is by students, for students, in a unique and powerful bubble. The audience source and writer supply are constant; a loop of stories that changes people’s minds or shares in their joy. But student journalism is powerful beyond campuses too, giving a voice to the opinionated and hopeful trying to make a difference.
In every protest of the last century, students have led the charge for change in America, from Gaza to Vietnam. We always have a lot to say, as young people being freshly educated on the horrors of the world should, and student journalism gives us a place to say it.
With so many protests taking place on college campuses around the country so often, student publications have become a critical reserve of truth — someone to tell the side of activists when schools and local governments start spinning their version of the story.
Someone has to call out the people on top at the university and beyond when they start slipping from their moral high ground. Who better than young people prepared to stand up and try to change the world they’re just entering?
Whether the goal is to celebrate the university’s wins, remark on its failures or reach like-minded people, student journalism is an open door. It is a critical platform for free speech and community engagement, keeping students on campus connected and informed.
