Journalism is typically defined as the “work and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas and people” that are considered daily news and which informs others to some degree or another.
The first things that come to my mind when I think of journalism are old men going to where the story is in their suits with a pencil tucked in their cap and pad in their pocket, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and "Gilmore Girls." Like any other industry, it has changed over time. That’s what happens; it’s a natural progression that mirrors our societal evolution. We consider them “important” changes, so maybe one day it’s Brexit and the next it’s Taylor Swift versus Kim Kardashian, and then next week everyone’s moved on to caring about Black Lives Matter.
Odyssey isn’t designed to be like the Washington Post, Boston Globe or even Cosmo. It’s designed to showcase the unique viewpoints of college kids and give a population without a strong voice a way to express themselves in a public platform.
As an Editor-in-Chief, I see my job as not keeping my peers from writing but instead trying to showcase the fact that they can say what they want and people will listen. To show them that they can voice their opinions in a forum that is a little more regulated with a wider reach than Facebook or other social networks. In the same way that Thought Catalog and Elite Daily write their articles, we at Odyssey write ours. It’s to show people that they’re not alone in their beliefs or what they’re going through and to give people a voice, because not everyone can be Anderson Cooper or Linda Cohn. Look at the majors of each writer; we aren't all English or journalism majors; we're engineers, business people, future doctors, artists, geographers and others who enjoy writing. This is our creative outlet, so please refrain from critiquing our writing or choice of medium, because at least we're taking the hardest step and putting it out there.
Sure, you get articles like “12 Reasons I Love My Big” or “Why Darties are the Best,” but you also get wonderful, hard hitting pieces that show the writer in a vulnerable light. And isn’t that not what journalism, but writing as a whole, is about? Not just reporting news or what is important, but showing the personality of the person behind the words as well.
The reason articles like “Why I Can't Wait for Ke$ha's Next Tour” (I'm pumped for this) or “5 Ways to Celebrate Cinco” become popular and therefore the face of the organization is because that’s what people share, so that’s what becomes popular. It sucks that that’s the way it works and I’ve edited really wonderful pieces that don’t get the recognition they deserve just because that isn’t what all millennials want to read when they're taking a study break.
Honestly, if I had my way as EIC, I wouldn’t accept articles that didn’t have personality in them, but I accept these kinds of articles because sometimes I have no choice. A lot of times, writers, including myself, can be pressured to get something in before the deadline, and other times that article will come from someone’s genuine interest in darties or their love for Ke$ha.
So can Odyssey be considered journalism? I am going to argue no, and for those of you who want to know why it’s not because of the lack of a really formal application or editing process. The resources just don’t exist; it’s because the purpose isn’t to provide journalistic content like you’d find on BBC or even People. The purpose of Odyssey that I try to convey to my writers is to provide them with an outlet and an opportunity to be heard. And that includes everything from “Why I’m #TeamKim” to “Understanding Black Lives Matter.”
