The importance of journalism comes from the reliability of our sources, as student journalists are attempting to report on student issues they should not have to face struggles getting into contact with administrators. Dante Estrada | Long Beach Current
Our campus is going through a tremendous amount of change.
From the closure of the University Student Union and a potential renaming of the Walter Pyramid to the appointment of a new interim president and the highest student population in the university’s history, our campus has undergone a myriad of changes this semester.
As the university’s longest-running student newspaper and a trusted source of record, our readers count on us to inform them of these ongoing changes at Long Beach State.
The Current is dedicated to keeping the community informed, from profiling new food options and providing readers updates on construction to reporting on day-to-day events and local news.
However, the Current relies on campus administrators, faculty, and staff to help us provide readers with the answers they need, and they are key components of our reporting process.
As student journalists, we deserve to know what is happening on campus as much as our readers.
From campus construction to housing updates or public records, student reporters should not face large gaps in communication, waiting days or weeks for email responses to schedule a short interview.
Administrative sources should not ask reporters for advance questions, thereby degrading the value of a face-to-face interview.
Reporters should not be expected to sift through dozens of scanned police paper logs that are not properly maintained in an Excel sheet.
As a publication that focuses on covering a wide range of campus life and is dedicated to unbiased reporting, we rely on our sources to relay crucial information and provide background and context to ensure our stories are well-researched, accurate and fair.
We understand that the administration is working through a busy season with the largest student population in campus history and ongoing changes, but this only exacerbates the need for students to know that their administration cares about communicating important changes and internal operations.
Including administrative sources supports our stories and lends them more credibility, allowing our readers to know that we are backing our reporting with evidence-based detail.
Journalism relies on communication. When university officials are willing to extend themselves as resources for student reporters, it strengthens our relationship with the administration and allows for thorough reporting that prioritizes facts, ensuring we communicate stories from our university the most accurately.
Administrators can help journalists understand institutional policies, decisions and procedures, which is why reporters often seek administration for an explanation on procedures that might be obscure or complex to the campus community.
With the Current’s large audience and the university’s population of over 41,000 students, communication to the CSULB community should be a joint effort between the student newspaper and the university administration.
This story was written by Community Engagement Editor Grace Lawson on behalf of the Long Beach Current Editorial Board.