The task of undertaking the management and direction of any newspaper, whether an in-house publication or a globally-printed, extensively-staffed enterprise, is not without its obstacles, conflicts, and disappointments. In fact, perhaps as an unintentional (or perhaps even intentional) reflection of such internal struggles, the various media outlets of the modern age seem to dwell on the negative: failure, selfishness, cruelty, distress… The list extends as a written rebellion against all the evils of the world, against the inescapable truth that in the face of certain hardships we as humans are vulnerable.

Yet, one would hope that in leading a newspaper (or any other media source for that matter), an editor-in-chief or chiefs would strive to overcome internal struggles and overcome the human urge to criticize unrestrictedly and unprofessionally the misfortunes of the world. One would hope that this individual would seek instead to bring enlightenment to his or her audience, by contemplating and reflecting upon current events in a way that is professional, articulate, accessible, and enjoyable.

We, as Editors-in-Chief of Newark Academy’s The Minuteman, have come to interpret the meaning and intentions of journalism in this way. Over the past year, we have striven to bring journalistic excellence to our high school newspaper and our school community among thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of other publications. We have striven to present the most factual, most reflective, most engaging, and most meaningful of news pieces to strike at the interests of each and every member of the community. And in the same way that an audience can hope for its media sources to be held to a certain level of professional journalism, so too can editors-in-chief hope their attempts at journalistic excellence have achieved recognition and appreciation, hopefully sparking serious consideration and discussion.

So we thank those who have supported our efforts; who, upon reading the products of many staff writers and editors’ hard work, have contributed their ideas, their concerns, their suggestions, and their criticisms. But in a way, so too can we thank those who were less involved, less receptive, even detached from the newspaper.

Would a newspaper still be a “newspaper” in the way that we define it today, one among many other media sources from which the members of a population draw their news and the opinions of others to develop their own ideas, if its entire audience read and invested itself in its every word? In choosing to overlook pieces of The Minuteman, and even its very existence, these individuals are, in a way, ensuring that “free” journalism as we know it today continues to exist. By deferring to other news sources, these individuals are promoting competition (whether between a high school paper and a global publication, or a more realistic match), and are promoting the search for, filtering of, and presentation of the most valid, “true,” and engaging news stories.

And in contemplating this, the expected questions begin to arise. To what lengths do journalists go to gain the upper hand in such competition? To what extent are journalistic ethics existent and still practiced? And more importantly, what role does journalism play in our society, whether on a micro or macro scale? And, what role, if any, should journalism play?

Throughout history, on both the local and the global level, journalism has undoubtedly known periods of disrepute and disdain for its negative, crude even demeaning, libelous, and damaging outlook and effects on individuals and societies. Yet, as inspired by honorable, objective journalists, we have attempted to stem this tide of negative, contemptible journalism. Our news articles have striven to present the facts (as we have filtered them), and the facts may reveal to you that the role of journalism and media has had both positive and negative outcomes.  But for once, we as journalists will merely pose the questions, present the (perhaps biased) facts, and not proffer our own ideas and “answers.” Rather, with these unanswered questions and your own thoughts, we leave you to reflect upon what we have discussed now and over the course of what we would consider a productive and successful year.

Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,

Delphine Slotten ‘11 and Ashley Ulrich ‘11

Editors-in-Chief