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Power to the protesters

The news is rarely pretty. In fact, it’s often ugly and grim.

ISIS, Ferguson and Syria are just a few of the issues that grace—or disgrace — headlines.

What is it, as future journalists, that make us continue in a career field that has to wait for bombs to drop and shots to fire for us to have a job?

Yes, as journalists, we thrive off of conflict. It is what fuels our profession. What we thrive off of more—people reacting to the news.

Two protests have occurred recently on campus. One protested a speaker’s event whose views offended many students. The other reacted to the tragic death of an unarmed teen that transformed Ferguson, Missouri into a social chasm.

We at The Spectator have been busy covering these protests. Most of us jumped up at the moment a protest was mentioned.

Why?

The core of journalism is to bring to light issues that people want and ultimately need to know about.

Simply put, if people are protesting, they are paying attention. If people are not paying attention, then people do not care. This is the never-ending battle that journalists face—how to engage their readers enough to get them to care.

Protests, done effectively and peacefully, accomplish change. Issues do not get resolved, unless people stand up and express their views.

We, from an editorial point of view, may or may not agree with what is protested. Individually, each member of the staff might have a differing view.

The one thing that we do all agree on is that protesting brings solutions to life. New ideologies are born and new voices are heard.

 

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