A note from the adviser of The Cyclone Chronicle.

“The Cyclone Chronicle—a student newspaper—is the product of WRI2300-Experiential Writing. Yes, eight student-journalists, two club members and one intern eagerly report on campus events and write features on topics of interest to the campus community.

But as an academic class, Experiential Writing offers so much more. 

Our student journalists plan balanced coverage and work at unbiased reporting. They showcase their skills at newspaper formatting, attribution of sources and use of Associated Press style. Sprinkle in a little descriptive writing (Meet Our Backpacks) and a lot of collaborative copy editing and you begin to see what is involved in producing The Cyclone Chronicle.

Perhaps most of all, our student journalists at Centenary University value student press freedom. An academic assignment this semester asked students to comment on what student press freedom means to them and why it matters.”

As I always say, “Luv ya bye,”

--Professor Zatta 

Following are selections from this assignment...

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What Is Student Press Freedom Day? 

Student Press Freedom Day is “a national day of action when we celebrate the contributions of student journalists and the need to support their independence without censorship or threat to their advisers,” the Student Press Freedom Day official website explains.

Established in 2017, Student Press Freedom Day is advocated by the Student Press Law Center, a Washington D.C.-based organization. 

They are dedicated to safeguarding the First Amendment rights of student journalists and offering a complimentary legal consultation hotline, Braden White, Emily Sisk, and Killian Baarlaer, student editors for The Northerner, said. 

Why Does Student Press Freedom Day Matter? 

Student Journalism Is Essential in Our Global Community

Student Press Freedom Day matters as it advocates that student journalism will not only be forever relevant for college campuses, but also beyond. 

“With local news outlets suffering, college newspapers are also covering more than campuses,” David Bauder, AP News editor, said. 

Although student journalists are often seen as “just” students, their work holds immense importance in our global community due to its impact, Emmy Martin, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Tar Heel, said. 

“So many people think of student journalists as students first, but in a lot of ways student journalists are just journalists. Just younger,” she said.

Student Journalists: Instilling Memorable, Impactful, and Historic Journalism

These student journalists produce memorable, impactful, and historic journalism everyday. 

This impact can be for justice, as seen in The Daily Northwestern’s interview with a former football player about alleged hazing, leading to the firing of head coach, Pat Fitzgerald. 

The impact of student journalism can also be emotional and eye-opening, such as The Daily Tar Heel’s school shooting graphic, so striking that it prompted a veteran newsman to say, “I’ve never seen a better front page.” 

Smaller scale publications can have an equally breath-taking impacts, as well. 

The Cyclone Chronicle’s “Ask the Cyclone,” segment, for example, allows the University’s student body to interact and seek meaningful advice through an anonymous forum. 

This segment speaks to the close relationship between the campus community and the publication.

What Does Student Press Freedom Mean to The Cyclone Chronicle, a Student Newspaper?

After five years of journalistic silence, The Cyclone Chronicle made a breakthrough. 

In the Fall of 2023, the “memorable journalism” supplied to Centenary’s community was the initial publication of the student newspaper’s website. 

After the email announcing the website’s official launch was sent to all students and faculty, there was a palpable campus-wide pause and moment of anticipation.

With this, The Cyclone Chronicle began to feel and experience that introspective “hell,” where those outside of the paper want to examine, change, and dissect it, as explained in Bauder’s article. 

The Cyclone Chronicle was not receiving the “angry, middle-of-the-night phone calls” that Bauder writes about. However, there was absolutely a sense of eyes being on the newspaper and its editors as talks of the publication buzzed around campus. 

What Does Student Press Freedom Mean to Me, a Student Journalist? 

Evidently, “being a journalist is like being under a microscope,” Theo Baker, a Stanford University journalist, said. 

But for me, that “microscope” is exciting and positive. 

To me, the buzz embodies what Student Press Freedom Day stands for: the ability to publish factual or opinionated articles while acknowledging and accepting the potential scrutiny that a journalist’s work may receive. 

That buzz signifies that the newspaper, its stories, and its voices are memorable and influential.

As the editor-in-chief of The Cyclone Chronicle, in the spirit of  Student Press Freedom Day, I will continue to utilize roving reporters techniques, always on the lookout for an upcoming story.

Moreover, I will ensure that The Cyclone Chronicle’s staff will never hinder from the newspaper’s code of ethics, insisting that staff members “adhere to the highest standards of integrity, honesty and good journalistic practice.” 

Wrap Up

Student Press Freedom Day inspires and allows journalists—students and beyond—to facilitate memorable, factual, and eagerly anticipated articles, providing readers with diverse content that aligns with their specific interests.

As a student journalist, I am forever thankful for student press freedom and having a day to celebrate it.

One of my earliest memories is reading the Sunday comics at the dining room table. I started every week sandwiched between my parents, who would swap articles of the New Jersey Herald as they finished reading a piece they thought the other would find interesting. 

“A theater group is performing a play at the library next week, we should go.”

“Look at what happened on Main Street!”

“Did you know a new grocery store is opening soon?” 

Their enthusiasm for our local paper not only nurtured my own curiosity, but inspired an investment in my town from a young age. By ten, I was trading stories with them, and that Sunday ritual was my favorite part of the week.

My interest in writing (and the impact written work has) flourished as I grew older, and I began writing articles for that same paper when I was 12. In school, this regard was transferred to my school papers, and by my first semester at Centenary, I was determined to revive the campus newspaper.

This venture felt fruitless for a few years, but thanks to the tireless efforts of our fantastic faculty, chiefly our adviser, Janet Zatta, it manifested last semester.

Since then, it’s been nothing short of a joy to contribute and watch the newspaper thrive. None of the jobs that comprise its upkeep feel like work. Not when writing is such fun, or when class and staff meetings are so easy to look forward to. And, especially, not since the staff became a family in its own right. 

Still, the beauty of student journalism is not in the enjoyment of its creation, but the impact of the final product.

Campus newspapers have the power to forge a narrative for their institution through honest, responsible, and enthusiastic journalism. PR departments may deliver a gleaming ad, and marketing can create vibrant social media posts, but they cannot capture a story. 

At the end of the day, a student’s experience is reliant on the day-to-day happenings gracing campus. Student journalists lovingly capture each one and create digital scrapbooks to commemorate these memories.  

Conversely, and most importantly, they act as the voice for the heart of the institution: its students. Should grievances arise, and change be demanded, student journalists write and act on behalf of student interest and can enact long lasting growth.

Through “good” stories and “bad,” excitement and disgruntlement, student journalism remains a reliable pillar of college communities. 

Despite some insisting that journalism is dead, the few that believe in advocacy, identity, and writing will always persevere.

Though some may argue we are old fashioned, I would insist that the classics will always deliver. Despite news becoming more tech-forward, snappy captions or infographics on Instagram can never compete with the credibility and integrity of a genuine, thorough article.

As journalism shifts in style and execution, student journalists are at the forefront of its evolution. We are directing culture, inciting progress, and literally writing the history of our university.

We are powerful, we are capable, and on behalf of Student Press Freedom Day, we must celebrate the progress that has been made and all of the great work that is to come.

Someone once asked me…

What does it mean to you to have the ability to tell stories, be a voice, and shine a light on important topics?

Honestly, it feels conflicting. Although we all have the power to say anything we choose, not all people have the power to listen. That’s just a reality of the world we live in. But, at the very least, it is nice that I can say something, and someone somewhere, even if it’s just one person, will listen. 

What is the reach and strength of journalism, however? Censorship. Some would think it is a thing of the past, but has been ever prevalent within the journalism field and, of course, with students. 

Students face a heavily concerning wave of censorship across the United States. There has been censorship throughout students’ education, limiting what young generations are permitted to know. It doesn’t stop there. There has even been censorship of media coverage in relation to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Not to mention, there is a looming potential ban of the trending TikTok app started by foreign nations. This application is how many young people receive their news and general information about the world from various people across the globe, as well as engage in silly social trends. 

TikTok has brought many newsworthy stories to light. This app is the younger generation’s active method of journalism that is soon to be brought down. 

I recall when scrolling through TikTok once I stumbled across a documentary that highlighted the possibility of censorship and erasure of history of a significant historical event. The short clip of an older woman being interviewed alleged the possibility of JFK being shot by a CIA member in a car behind him; assassinated by our own government. I would have saved the video, but it had just been taken down. 

While I am not one to post anything to this app, the erasure of these young voices poses a dangerous threat to the future of young journalists and their juniors even who may grow up believing freedom of speech to be a myth.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated with the art of writing. I don’t necessarily know what I accredit that to, but somewhere along the way, I’ve adapted a love for storytelling and talking to people. 

Writing comes with a sense of power and responsibility that I’ve always been obsessed with. For context, I think there is something surreal about being able to communicate with others, and being able to evoke their emotions, or influence them, through something that I’ve composed. 

I’ve always believed that the best pieces of writing are the ones that make you feel something. I think that perspective is what ultimately fuels my weird sense of responsibility to deliver a good story. If you’re reading on autopilot, letting your mind wander, then I haven’t achieved what I set out to do: captivate you.

Centenary University celebrates Freedom of the Press Day, and I want to tie my point in all of that into this. Writing is important. It’s beautiful and expressive, and it is the driving force of our society.

Writing provides us with books, news, entertainment, documentation of our world’s history, and so much more. In this crazy population of billions of people, writing has offered us so much of what we’ve learned, and of what we have yet to learn.

I’ve realized through that documenting, just how incredible the art of writing is. It felt really nice to dust off some of those old memories that I forgot that I had, and to recount them for others to enjoy. 

You can do the same. You can go out there and endlessly write, whether it’s to a crowd of people, or to an audience of one. That is what a recognized day like today is all about. It’s about the power and responsibility that comes with putting a pen to paper, and it’s about the liberty to express ourselves, to convey our message, and to tell our stories. Cheers to freedom of the press and student press freedom.

To be a writer means you have the freedom to write what you want. Writing can be funny, sad, dramatic, action-packed, or about something happening around the world. Writing is where entertainment is made and helps the writer curate their audiences. 

Sometimes people will try to censor and/or take certain parts out of the final product of other’s writing. People might try to compel others to beat around the bush, help save face, or cover something up. But, that is not what writing is all about.

To me, writing is about honesty and authenticity. Writing is an important part of me. I love writing stories, writing characters, and, most importantly, I don’t want to have people tell me what I can and cannot write about. 

As a writer, I have the right to write about whatever I please (without somebody hovering around me telling me what I can and cannot write about).

As a writer, and thanks to student press freedom, I have the right to express myself freely, without fear of censorship or interference.