Dear Mills Community,
Growing up, I, like many children, sifted through nearly a dozen ideas as to who I wanted to be “when I grew up.” From dreaming of being an opera singer to wanting to be an ambassador for some faraway country, I could never settle on one passion to live for — until I came to Mills.
My first day in Journalism Principles I with Meredith May enlightened me by breaking down what it really means to report on and write a successful news story. I knew then that journalism was the passion I was going to live for, though I’m not entirely sure I am “grown up” just yet.
Journalism is more than seeing your name in print. It is learning something new about the world, your community and yourself with each article and interview. It is the collaborative environment inherent to the newsroom. It is knowing that someone, somewhere has benefited from your research and presentation. It is knowing that you, yourself have made some small difference somewhere in the world, even if it’s only for one person.
We at The Campanil are eager to share all of these qualities with the rest of the Mills community. Journalism is not just for the writers and editors; it is for the readers. As a journalist, I want to know what my readers want to read. I want to know what stories have moved my readers — what stories have made them cry, scream, smile or giggle. Knowing your readership is the first step in creating a meaningful community newspaper, which is what The Campanil is striving to be.
Even though my staff and I pride ourselves in our professionalism and journalistic integrity, we are all students. We are all still learning what it’s like to be reporters and editors, and we all still make mistakes. However, we encourage pressure from our peers, our readers and our educators — from you — to right our wrongs and to learn from every misstep we take.
In other words, we rely heavily on community support and collaboration. We cannot improve ourselves and our publication without the voices of the community telling us what they want to see.
Our publication comes out every Tuesday, excluding some days when the school is on break or when there is a holiday. Please pick up your free copy each week at one of our many locations on campus.
We update our website (www.thecampanil.com) throughout the week. Please check it out and leave some comments!
The Campanil regularly updates its Facebook and Twitter profiles as well. We tend to save those particular mediums for breaking news and short tid-bits about the goings on of our community.
Last, but not least, every Monday night at 6 p.m., The Campanil hosts our weekly pitch meeting where our editors, our writers, and members of the community can all share their ideas about what should be in the paper.
Pitch meetings are open to all members of the Mills community and are an opportunity for you to share with us what you want to see in The Campanil. Plus, there are free snacks and coffee! I hope to see you there next week.
Sincerely,
Lauren-Marie Sliter
Editor-in-Chief
