A word from our editors

In the April 30 issue of the Manitou Messenger, our 2009-2010 executive and managing editors composed their last editorial as a satirical list of everything they do not believe in on St. Olaf's campus, from the fly fishing club to the parking office. In our new roles taking on the positions of executive staff for the 2010-2011 school year, we certainly have a number of things we do not believe in, the juggling club being one of them (just kidding). Yet in all seriousness, we do have a great deal of things we do believe are in store for the Messenger as we take over the helm in the upcoming year.
  

We believe in the Messenger's role as a student publication that offers engaging and balanced content in our weekly issues. We strive to communicate topics truly relevant to the St. Olaf community with accuracy and fair reporting. The Mess is a PR extension for neither the Student Government Association nor the college administration; we loathe those assumptions. Rather, we are an organization that advocates journalistic freedom in all its forms, and we resist shying away from covering issues that are deemed controversial. Besides, doesn't the best news necessitate its fair share of conflicting perspectives?

We believe in the Messenger's duty to facilitate a vibrant journalistic community on the St. Olaf campus. As the only completely student-run weekly publication at Olaf, we intend to continue and expand our integral role witnessing and critiquing current events on and off the Hill. The Mess provides a place where writers, editors, illustrators and photographers can contribute and refine their talents working for a publication relevant to their experiences as college students. We also strive to be a newspaper that engages our fellow students and fosters an honest relationship with our readers throughout the St. Olaf community. As much as the staff gains in experience from putting together each issue, the Messenger is nothing without its audience. 

We believe in the Messenger's mission to continue exploring the frontiers of new media. With the advent of the digital age, the world of journalism has undergone a complete paradigm shift in operation and mobilization, and we at the Mess are working to adapt to this change and run with it. Campus media is rapidly departing from its traditional print format and venturing into a hot, flat and crowded world where the immediacy of the Internet is paramount. The Messenger has followed suit by emphasizing our online editions, Facebook and Twitter presence, but we are well aware there is plenty of room to push the boundaries even further. In the future, we hope to utilize the full capabilities of our presence on the Internet – from blogs to podcasts to video – and expand the formats through which we report news to our readers.
   
We'll see if we manage to live up to our expectations. See you in the fall!