Coming into college, I never imagined I would be the executive editor of The Observer. Like many others at Case Western Reserve University, I thought my time in college would be spent solving mind-boggling complex equations, volunteering at the three local hospitals and spending hours upon hours in a lab doing groundbreaking medical research. (Yes, I’m one of the many failed BME premeds.) Yet over the past three years at CWRU, what had begun as a hobby and a method to decompress after hours of STEM classes had turned into one of the most defining experiences of my college career. 

I joined The Observer as a staff writer my first year, covering news topics pertaining to the campus community with articles such as the new shuttle hotline number and the creation of Swipe Out Hunger. As an extremely introverted first-year, The Observer was my way to connect with CWRU. Writing for The Observer allowed me to meet members of our undergraduate student government, interview administration, and it even encouraged me to go to various sporting events while I was copy editor and later sports editor. Not only did I foster a connection with our campus and community, I also became more aware of the role the media plays in our everyday lives.

Now, I am hyper-cognizant of the media I consume. As a writer, I paid attention to how others write, their diction and how they craft a story. And now as the publisher of The Observer, I have spent a lot of time pondering and scrutinizing the choices of major news outlets and watching the impact it has on their followers. Today, one of the biggest issues with journalism is the valid distrust in mainstream media. It is unfortunate that journalism is plagued by the sensationalization and monetization of stories that stem from a lack of adequate funding. 

While journalism and journalists often have a bad reputation, journalism in its pure unadulterated form is one of the most powerful things we have as a society. Knowledge is power. Staying connected to one another and being informed is one of the most valuable things one can do. 

So, as I step into the position of being executive editor of The Observer, I want to acknowledge the impact of our writing and recognize the responsibility we carry as student journalists to be truthful and representative of actual voices on campus. As a student-run newspaper, our stories memorialize our years here at CWRU. The stories we write and publish, the sources we interview and the pictures we use all tell a story within themselves. 

Our goal at The Observer is to represent the diverse school community—to record and share important events and stories, but to also facilitate discourse. One of the beautiful things about the college experience is the ability to interact with people of various backgrounds and share, discuss and debate topics.

We now live in a time where knowledge is literally at the tips of our fingers. With a few taps on the screen we can find any information we want. At The Observer, we recognize the shift towards digitalization and we hope to become your primary source for news on campus. This year we look to improve our digital presence so you can stay up to date with our coverage beyond just our traditional Friday print. We have a digital newsletter that recaps articles of the week sent directly to your email inbox. We also look to revitalizing our website and incorporating different forms of media into our coverage that our readers can engage with. 

Beyond improving our digital presence, I hope to revitalize our news coverage and become a consistent and reliable news source for the community. I understand that trust is earned, and I hope to continue to grow alongside our campus community as we navigate an uncertain future. 

Here, at the Observer, we welcome the CWRU community to join our staff. Whether it’s engaging in discourse through writing opinion articles or helping our news and video sections do interviews with members of our community or creating graphics to accompany a piece—we have a place for you. If you are interested in joining our various positions and being more involved with the student newspaper, reach out to observer@case.edu, and we’ll make sure to find a position that best suits your interests and skills. 

It is an incredible privilege to be executive editor and I hope you will continue following us through the year as we memorialize our time at CWRU.