Last month, I read about Zoya Azhar’s experience running the opinions section of Smith’s student newspaper, The Sophian, and how the paper has struggled with low readership and an overall lack of writers (“Is anyone reading this?” Hampshire Life, July 6-12).
In some ways, I sympathize. Having just finished my tenure as the editor-in-chief of the Mount Holyoke News, I know firsthand what it’s like to run an independent college newspaper.
Like The Sophian, the Mount Holyoke News has chosen to forgo the assistance of a faculty adviser in exchange for greater autonomy as a campus news source, and that exacerbates some unavoidable challenges of printing a college newspaper. Nearly every year, we lose 25 percent of our most experienced staff, including the few people who just figured out, through a year of trial and error, how the whole making-a-newspaper thing works. We’re not starting from scratch, but we’re pretty darn close.
But I have to disagree with Azhar’s assertion that these problems are somehow insurmountable, and can only be solved by reducing the weekly paper to a bimonthly publication schedule. During my time as editor, I consistently managed a staff of about 70 writers, artists and editors, and together we expanded the paper from 12 to 16 pages, sent eight staff members to a journalism conference in Boston, and won the Excellence in Student Programming Award from Mount Holyoke College.
So while student journalism is an uphill battle, it’s not necessarily a fruitless one. You won’t get far without a good team, but there are potential writers everywhere. They can come from Org Fairs, Facebook announcements or any academic department. Don’t just visit journalism classes — philosophy and bio majors can write, too!
It takes time to cast such a wide net, but as an editor, it was second nature to share my vision for the newspaper whenever the opportunity arose. When talking to potential writers, I’d always focus on the Mount Holyoke News’ potential, rather than whatever barriers held it back in the past.
Now, the headline of Azhar’s article poses a very specific question: “Is anyone reading this?” So, let’s talk about readership. You can bet that more writers means more readers, and the more important the paper is in the lives of its staff, the more visible it will become on campus. There were several instances when I spotted a Mount Holyoke News article hanging on a proud professor’s door, or on the “published majors” bulletin board in an academic lounge. And when it comes to college journalism, week-to-week readership is not the only measure of success.
In addition to covering campus issues and events, we’re providing students (and even the occasional professor) with published clips. This helps people get jobs and internships, and can also be a very important milestone in a young person’s life. As editors, we make that “seeing your name in print” moment a reality!
We’re also building a historic record of student life and opinion. An overlooked article from 2018 could easily be dug up and read by hundreds of people 80 years from now. I know this because the Mount Holyoke News just celebrated its 100th anniversary with a year-long column examining the paper’s coverage of different topics since 1917, and its legacy on campus. Not all student newspapers outlive their founders, but The Sophian, which was established in 1910, certainly has. Now each editor has the exciting opportunity to shape a 108-year legacy.
Finally — and this was on my mind during every pitch meeting — college newspaper editors are providing a unique newsroom experience for so many students. A well-run newsroom inspires a sense of purpose and camaraderie that is difficult to come across in any other setting. And the fact that 90 percent of a typical student newspaper staff has no intention of going into professional journalism makes this role all the more important.
These are all services and accomplishments that should fill student journalists with pride, no matter who’s reading the paper every week. Each editor must understand these functions when recruiting other students — because if you’re not advocating for every aspect of your paper, your staff, and yourself, then who will?
Lindsey McGinnis was editor-in-chief of the Mount Holyoke News (mountholyokenews.com) during her senior year. She graduated in May and is a news intern at New England Public Radio.