Dear PLNU community and beyond,
We are The Point Student News, Point Loma Nazarene University’s student-run newspaper. We are journalists, and we are also students. Reporting on a campus we also attend has granted us the values of understanding the other, a way to reflect on our own lives and gotten us into some sticky situations.
Feb. 26 is Student Press Freedom Day. It’s a day to stand up for press freedom and recognize our role as student journalists in the community. This year’s theme is “resilience in action,” according to Josh Moore, assistant director of the Student Press Law Center. This is as timely as it can get, as we have continued to report despite being denied access to cover events or a refusal to comment.
Journalism provides a unique opportunity for people to get a glimpse of events and the lives of individuals. Our reporting has kept the community aware of the recent controversy surrounding our campus and national politics, specifically our coverage of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and Turning Point USA’s denial by PLNU’s Associated Student Body.
But also — we highlight PLNU’s accomplishments and people. In discovering staff and faculty’s music taste, people can learn about what makes them who they are outside of teaching. We celebrate humanity by featuring groups who gather to engage in Bible study or stop on Caf Lane to stack chairs without a reason but to make people smile.
Rarely do we get the chance to take a snapshot of what is happening socially or culturally in a given situation, yet journalism provides a means to do so. As writers, we are called to reach groups of people that would otherwise never get the moment to have their voices heard, and we have the responsibility to uphold these values.
In a world where reliability and truth are vital to our decision-making and understanding of our society, journalists should be people you can count on. It is important because it highlights the concerns, perspectives, ideas and passions of the younger generations — by giving students a platform to share their voice.
Student journalism helps prepare the next generation of journalists so they can go into their future careers equipped with the tools needed to inform the public. We are grateful for this. It also gives other students a way to be informed and learn how to engage with information.
Journalism is a way to learn from other people’s life experiences. Through photos, videos or print, it’s our mission to capture moments in time and explain things you should know. It makes us better people.
Sincerely,
The Point editorial staff
