The Importance of the Campus Newspaper Experience

I don’t doubt that we’re headed for a post-newspaper world, but I am not in a hurry to get there.

Take The Gazette, for instance. Our local newspaper, which arrives at my house frustratingly late each morning, nonetheless provides an important forum that both covers the news and provides important local commentary on it.

And recently, two former editors of the MMU Times, the campus newspaper that I advise, had interesting guest columns published in The Gazette.

Image posted by The Gazette on Aime Wichtendahl's column.

Aime Wichtendahl, a member of the city council of Hiawatha, a contiguous city with Cedar Rapids, wrote about the impact of proposed property tax caps at the state level. I like to think Aime’s experience as Editor-in-Chief of the MMU Times made the column a bit easier for her to write.

Erika Brighi,
posted by Gazette.

And Erika Brighi, a former managing editor of the MMU Times, explained the “100 Who Care” program in her guest column. Erika was both a writer and gifted photographer, and I know she has carried on the photography interest—it’s great to read her words, too.

I really enjoyed seeing those familiar names in print—and nice that there is still a forum for their expression in the form of a local newspaper. Of course, in the coming post-paper world, online news sites can step in and provide key forums. Today, sadly, the online world doesn’t have a great track record, but I hope that changes.

For now, yay newspapers. They are still important, and the MMU Times is still a force on campus.

Next year’s editor is interviewing students this week to set up her team—and we’ve had the biggest response to our call for applications in years, with more than a dozen students stepping forward. That young woman who will lead the Times has the enviable task of having more willing workers than she probably has slots for, and it’s the first time I recall that happening recently at Mount Mercy.

Something is in the air. The Trump bump? Whatever—on campus, the struggle is to get students interested in reading the newspaper, but a campus without vibrant student media is missing something important. At least it’s not as big of a struggle to get students who are willing to write and edit the paper.

It’s great to see that at MMU, young writers still aspire to produce the news. It’s wonderful to have future editors so ready to take on the challenges of what comes next.

Veronica Jons, next year's MMU Times editor--future Gazette guest columnist? Or editor?

Veronica takes notes.

One of the students being interviewed--Nicole was a staff writer this year.