By CHLOE HARGRAVE – Editor-in-Chief
At the end of a distribution day, I wince every time an ODYSSEY Newsmagazine, a product that a 26-person staff slaved over, lies on the floor or in the recycling bins. So why do we do it in the first place?
After distribution day, ODYSSEYs can be found lying around the school. Is this an acceptable response to our commitment as student journalists? Photo by Porter McLeod.
We’re journalists. We want to.
Our role as journalists is to serve as the storytellers and truth seekers of the school. We aim for all of our content to be fair, accurate and balanced and that it reflects the interest of the student body.Most importantly, we strive to give a voice to the voiceless.
At the end of a distribution day, seeing our final product vandalized is defeating. I feel as if all the work we’ve done, not for our own benefit, but for our readers, has been wasted.
It is not our job as journalists to hover over our readers’ shoulders and make sure each article is read. Our job is to provide content that is what students want to read, as well as what they need to know.
The ODYSSEY Newsmagazine’s editorial policy states that each issue is “published with the intent to inform, entertain and give voice to the Clarke Central High School community.”
It is for this main reason that guest writers, 26 staff writers, cartoonists, photographers and a business staff are willing to spend many hours, weekends and nights crafting a forty-page book.
Contrary to what people may think, we don’t spend these hours at school, go on extensive shoots or conduct lengthy interviews for the awards.
“Altruistic editors and writers (work for the school publication) because they care about the society in general,” Dean Hume, an advisor of a nationally award-winning publication and a former teacher of mine said.
Majority of my Saturdays are spent staring at computers, designing and communicating with the rest of the staff in one room for several hours.
And to be clear; this work is voluntary. It is work we are happy to do.
This kind of dedication is common in student publications across the nation. We share the same pride, love and passion for our publications and readers.
Recently, I attended the National Scholastic Press Association Fall Conference in San Antonio, Tex. where students like myself came from coast-to-coast in order to connect and learn from others.
And, quite frankly, the work that all student journalists do for their readers has been taken for granted.
Nationally, the media is considered the fourth branch of government.
As a student publication, we strive to serve that same purpose at a local level. We seek to offer insight into new policies, to showcase personalities and to critique the on-going events occuring in our school and community in addition to offering an open public forum for discussion.
That is why we continue to do the work we have been doing for ten years, despite the discarded ODYSSEY Newsmagazines. We will continue to put forth this effort in hopes of informing our community.
