In defense of journalism

The USD Vista faces misplaced disdain in the form of orchestrated silence and threats from community

Luke Garrett / Editor in Chief / The USD Vista

It has become abundantly clear to me that the majority of our generation, specifically our USD undergraduate community, does not know what a newspaper is, and to little fault of their own. Few students woke up to breaking news resting on their doorstep or learned how to origami a newspaper into readability. The majority of USD students, for better or for worse, find their news on social media — Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Despite both being sources of news, the two are notably different and are too often conflated. 

A newspaper is not a social media platform. A newspaper is not a compilation of self narratives. A newspaper values nothing more than accurate storytelling and the investigation of stories important to a community. A newspaper is the public record, the first draft of history, and the singular space for an entire community to learn about themselves.

I begin with this because little else, to my mind, can explain why The USD Vista has been the subject of poignant acts of disdain from some members of our campus community. This disdain seems to have two tactics: the first is orchestrated silence and the other is the incitement of fear. The former tactic has, unfortunately, been made most evident by our current Associated Student President Natasha Salgado. Her months-long denial of interviews with The USD Vista – concerning stories that cover the very government she leads – robs students, whom she represents, of knowing what she believes and where she is leading our student body. It is a sorry fact to see the leader of USD undergraduate students take on this familiar tactic toward journalists. Although it is the latter tactic, one of inciting fear, that is far more concerning and is the very impetus of this editorial piece. 

Over the past month Vista staffers have been personally threatened with lawsuits for reporting on public student government meetings; papers have been stolen, vandalized, and then delivered back to the newsroom door; and, most disturbing of all, a staffer was recently informed that threats of physical violence and death were made against their person this year. Unfortunately, this too is a tactic often looming over journalists’ heads around the world.  

Despite the gravity and seriousness of these happenings, I stand by my opening statement that this disdain at our campus is the result of a few students not knowing what it is we, as journalists, do and why we do it. For any other explanation of such actions would involve evil intent, as these actions do nothing more than dilute a community’s ability to know themselves, at best, or strike enough fear within student journalists to keep the truth from being written, at worst. Again, I do not believe these acts are done with the intention of malice, yet their results simply hurt our USD community.  

The USD Vista covers stories that no one else does. The USD Vista provides students with the best update on their college community. We are honored to do so, we work long and hard to do so, and we will continue to do so. We are by no means perfect, but we do our best to write as close to the truth as possible. We do this because no one else does.

To those who read, thank you.

To those who are unsatisfied with our paper, please write a letter to the editor with your concerns or, better yet, cover a story you believe is worth writing – our pitch meeting door is always open. The tactics of silence, especially from those in power, and fear against student media do nothing of worth. These tactics only disrupt a medium of community knowledge essential for the possibility of transparency, truth, and ultimately, so help us God, peace.