From the Editor: Journalism as a public service

Editor’s Note: This story previously appeared in The New Political’s 2022 summer magazine The More Y{ou} Know.

Around the same time every year, the announcement tweets and congratulatory LinkedIn notifications flood everyone's timelines. All your friends scatter across the world for a new real-world learning experience or internship. The hard work and late nights during the school year pay off for a taste of what your post-graduation life may hold after spending what seems like years in the newsroom for a new addition to your resume. But in all that time hustling for the next opportunity, it can be easy to lose focus on what we are here to do: public service. It's one of the Society of Professional Journalists pillars we all come to learn and love. 

I've always felt a healthy competition among students at Ohio University's J-school. My peers have pushed me to be a better journalist and seek new heights, whether taking on a new beat or applying for a higher leadership position. But it can be hard to keep up. Taking on too much responsibility and losing focus on class work is something I've seen happen to plenty of fellow students, even myself. 

It can be hard to remember that we are not here for ourselves; we are not here just to add another hit piece to our portfolio. We are a vital part of keeping the communities we serve informed. Athens has a plethora of local coverage thanks to the dedication of journalists from the Athens News, Athens Messenger and the Athens County Independent. It's important that now more than ever, we learn from and support their efforts in keeping Athens informed. While we should stand proud of our accomplishments, we must not forget the bigger picture we help to maintain.

All the more so, it is vital to be an informed community member, both as a journalist and a student. As students, we enter Athens for a short period, but it's important to remember that it has been here long before us and will be here long after us. Not only are we joining a cohort of our fellow students, but we are becoming a part of the community, one that we will cherish and remember for years to come. 

In The New Political's 2022 summer magazine, we took the five W's (and one H) that every journalist knows to share a slice of Athens on and off Ohio U's campus. From bridging the political divide near, far, then and now to the various local vendors and small businesses, our staff worked tirelessly to bring you this magazine.

I am more than proud of the TNP team this year and trust that we will continue to hold ourselves to the highest journalistic standards. I know they will continue to do the same as they continue their careers. With that, The New Political brings you, The More Y[ou] Know, where we hope you can learn something new about the amazing Athens, Ohio.