Hi Spectator fans! I’m sure those who are reading this care about the news in some respect, whether that care exists for the availability of information on current events or simply because it’s fun to read about what’s new in sports and pop culture. Speaking as a fellow Spectator fan, it is important for me to speak directly to you all, as the issue I am bringing up directly impacts us Spectator enjoyers. An aspect of our newspaper that makes our publication unique and valuable is the amplification of student voices here at Seattle U. Being a student-run publication, we inherently report everything through the viewpoint of a student, and that fact is reflected in everything published here. However, we are missing the viewpoints of some very important people. We are missing you all!
We have a limited capacity to bring out the views that are important to the larger population on campus. Apart from when our reporters go out and interview you all on campus, when is your voice really represented in the newspaper? It is not uncommon to see a communications major or a journalism major reporting for The Spectator, which is not a problem, as it makes a lot of sense for someone in communications or journalism to enjoy writing for the newspaper. However, this fact inherently limits the scope of what we can bring to you, the reader. This might be the first time you’re reading something written by a business economics major in this paper, and that is shameful (of me; I should’ve written this sooner).
The solution to this issue is unbelievably simple. We just need you to write your opinion! The topics you can write about are endless! If you feel too weak to scream your opinion, write it down. It is unbelievable how many great conversations I’ve had with people on campus. I’ve heard rants about favorite movies, favorite underground artists, the importance of art, the dangers of AI, the difficulties of romance in Seattle and the limited food choices on campus. Every single one of these rants has the substance and the passion to become its own article, and yet, Daniel Truog, our Sports and Opinion Editor, usually only has to worry about sports from week to week. I’m doing my part in changing that, and so can you!
I know you all are passionate people–some of you have hills you would die on. It’s more important now than ever before to share your opinions. Even though it is unbelievably easy to post something that will be released to the world, a lot of the information that is pushed online is either super depressing news or ragebait slop designed to hold our attention. We live in a world where information is in constant competition with an algorithm. What you see is what wins the natural selection process of engagement farming. Don’t feed your opinion to the ad robot. Your opinion is more valuable than that.
When I told one of my friends that I was writing this article, they said that they would have liked to live in the blog era of the internet, and quite frankly, I understand where they’re coming from. We have gutted one of the few places where opinions were free. Most of the internet is only viewable through the algorithm gaze, and publications like these are the only ways to escape this limited scope through which advertisers aim to extract every last second of your attention. You know how many recipes online have a massive preamble before the recipe is even listed, even though it would be more convenient for the recipe to precede the narrative? In the attempt to make the internet more profitable, the recipe blogs have turned into ad revenue farms designed to waste your time. I love those online bakers and chefs, I just wish that it didn’t have to be this way. Your opinion is more valuable than the ad revenue it generates. Put your opinion in a place where it isn’t subject to advertiser scrutiny.
I really want you to channel your grievances, your passions, your joys, into an article for the opinions section. Write about why you think we should all try bouldering. Write about why you think The Spectator sucks. Write like your opinion is the only one that matters! Take up space and use up printer ink! We provide a platform for your opinion to appear in nearly every building on campus in print every single Thursday, and yet, rarely do I see your opinions!
The newspaper is here to serve you! If you feel like you’re not being heard, we’re here for you. All you have to do is write. It would personally make my day to see your opinion in print or on the site. I hope to read you all on a Thursday afternoon! If you’d like to write an article for the Spectator, you can come meet us on Monday night every week at 7:00 p.m. in the Campion basement, or you can email our beloved Sports and Opinion Editor Daniel Truog at dtruog@seattleu.edu for more information on writing an opinion article.
