Why The Lamron matters: Support student journalism
Photo courtesy of The Lamron
The editorial board of The Lamron is full of passionate people who would love for you to join and write! Attend a meeting even if you are not sure what you would like to write about! We can always workshop ideas, or you could simply spend time with our community and get to know the wonderful people involved!
You may be wondering: why should I care about a random school newspaper? Well, why should you not? Not only does The Lamron strive to be a reliable and accessible source of information that is conveniently located around campus and online, but by supporting the paper, you are supporting student journalism—an increasingly important topic in this climate.
The history of The Lamron goes back to its creation in 1922, preceding SUNY Geneseo’s identity as New York’s Public Honors College. Being directly affiliated with the campus allows for more direct coverage on campus events as well as scandals; but also ensures us the funding to produce a physical print through a budget provided by the Student Association.
Students are encouraged to bring any concerns and ideas to The Lamron office and make their voices heard. The newspaper encourages the campus to take accountability on issues that could go unnoticed without a journalistic presence paying close attention. There would be more coverups and lack of acknowledgment without the existence of The Lamron.
The Lamron is made up of several different sections, which ensures that everyone can find something that they want to write about. These sections include: News, Knight’s Life, Arts and Entertainment, Opinion, Sports, and Comics–with the potential to start your own column within these sections. With so many different sections, each print covers a wide range of topics and there is always an article or addition for everyone to contribute to. In addition to the wide scope of our paper, feedback and concerns are always encouraged. The Lamron is always inquiring on what students want to see and how we can make that happen—we want to be a voice for the students and campus; even if that means taking on hard topics.
One of the main priorities of The Lamron is to continue to provide consistency. By addressing campus news, scandals, and changes on a weekly basis the campus community can be kept more informed and up-to-date. Even though it is a student-run organization, an immense amount of work goes in behind the scenes. Writers are constantly reaching out to faculty, conducting interviews, investigating current events both on campus and beyond, just to name a few of the paper’s responsibilities. Alongside this, editors spend multiple hours a week in and out of the office diligently working on curating a newspaper which we are proud of.
No paid subscription is necessary to access The Lamron, which aligns with our mission of accessibility. Copies are distributed around campus and you can find all of our articles and the PDF version of the newspaper available on our website.
So why is student journalism important? Freedom of speech and expression are directly tied to the mission of student journalism, which has been made even more apparent by the increased censorship of media across college campuses. All news sources are becoming increasingly valuable amid rampant attacks on free speech across the nation. By supporting and contributing to the paper, you are directly combatting this attack.
Furthermore, if students are able to express concerns and their values, the college can get a better understanding of what students care about. Without a campus newspaper, students would have no reliable means of educating themselves on scandals or campus news; instead, they would have to rely on different means, such as YikYak, an anonymous app, which, as many of us know, is rarely reliable. Just because The Lamron is run by students, does not mean it is unreliable; although some sections (such as Opinion, Arts and Entertainment, and Sports) allow their writers the opportunity to discuss their opinions and perceptions, all articles are required to properly research and add sources, ensuring that readers are given accurate information, regardless of the topic. The Lamron is a firm advocate in being a reputable source of student expression and will continue to be.
Not to be biased, but The Lamron e-board is pretty wonderful too. If you are looking for a group of people who share a common interest in journalism and weird niches, while also building close relationships, this is the place for you. We always encourage students to stop by our office, located in the Union Mail Room, Thursdays at 5:00pm or reach out by email lamron@geneseo.edu to write for us or share article ideas and/or feedback.