The Martlet

Sex. Conspiracy. Bunnies. Money. Activism.

Where can you get all these topics in one daily news source? Just about anywhere.

But in this age of dying newspapers, grey-haired journalists and an industry that’s sinking faster than the Titanic, student media offers something that’s becoming harder to find throughout the globe: perspective.

After being the editor-in-chief of the Martlet for the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of student journalists, both at UVic and around Canada. Many of them come from a place of journalistic intent, but almost as many come from programs of political science, history, English, visual arts and more. Yet, one thing unites them all: an ability to ask questions.

What’s lacking in this world right now is a decent helping of curiosity — that age-old inkling that makes us stop and really wonder, “Why?”

Too often now, we’re being force-fed our news from regurgitated sources, or we gulp down the dregs of Facebook to find out what’s going on.

But, while we choke ourselves on mass information, we’re starving for knowledge — for understanding that goes beyond just what happened, and tells us why it matters. This is the role of the student journalist now, more than ever before.

For the average reader, life is becoming too fast to pay attention to 1,000-word scriptures that inform us about any given event. And yet people are willing to dedicate hours of their day religiously learning about what their friends are doing on Twitter or Facebook. But how often are those tweets complete with reasoning?

In an age where opportunity is swarming us, we’re being bred from an inquisitive society to one that does what it’s told — sit there and don’t think. Distract yourself with this Facebook notification; sidetrack your brain by playing with this iPhone application; dwindle your time away on this new iPad accessory.

And it all comes down to one thing: thinking is dangerous.

Your thoughts are a threat to those in power. So, as long as you keep complacent, those in power can hold onto the status quo. And those who sit in power will wrestle to the death in order to do just that.

Yet, it is student media, it is the young academic journalists within university, who must ask the questions that everyone else is too afraid to utter. When the world shuts down and says, “who cares?” it is up to us, the journalists (those ones still unbuttered by society’s uncomfortable constraints), to say exactly why it is the world’s responsibility care.

Too often, people pass up responsibility, leaving it up to the anonymous “someone else”. But if you, as a kinetic creation for brilliance, aren’t willing to lay it out for your fellow earthling, then who will, really?

If media as we know it crumbled today, what would new media become?

What could you turn it into? These are the questions you should be asking, because it is happening — and it’s happening right now.

In the midst of this turmoil, it’s time to stand up for what all journalists should be standing up for right now — integrity and purpose. The older generations have lost touch and, with that, their abilities to do so effectively. But, student media, at the hub and pinnacle of youthful potential, is still in touch.

Student media has the last chance to make a stand and show the world that we’re still worth fighting for. We’re still worth paying attention to. If you can achieve that, you’ve become more influential than any of the powers that be.

And all you have to do is question what is.