Supporting Your University's Student Media Is Important
You are constantly supported in the work you do, why shouldn't they be?
In many of things I accomplish on and off campus in several different organizations, I am constantly shown support. Many organizations have tons of support on the campus I am currently on. I attend Boise State University, a four-year university with many things to offer the students, especially a voice in the student media covering just about everything on campus. For us, this is The Arbiter, which on our campus sadly isn't as popular as it should be.
I'll be honest, my freshman year I had no clue what The Arbiter was or did. It wasn't until I had a friend who got a job within The Arbiter that I learned what they really did and all the great things they actually do as a student media source. They cover literally everything on campus from sports to events happening that week. Once I saw what they covered, I grabbed copies every week that were literally located all over campus.
Many of our Student Media employees are not supported the way they used to be. It's a student organization that has been around since 1933, now, however old your student media is, shouldn't they be supported just as much as other organizations on campus? These students provide us with all kinds of news on everything to do with our campus just for us, the students. Students doing this work should be more supported by the other student population, whether that be picking up a copy of your student newspaper or just viewing their website. Even things like sharing their social media if you post about an article that one of them wrote will help them keep doing the things they love to do like reporting, writing, or photography.
I personally have two friends that work for the student media who I just met not long ago and seeing how people react when I mention their name but people are not sure what they do makes me very sad. I want people to know what amazing things these students are doing for us and help them build their confidence and make sure they know they are well supported on our campus.
Support is such a crucial thing for different individuals; we should all feel supported in some way, especially when we are doing things we are very passionate about. Go pick up a copy of the publication they print or check out their website they upload articles to. Share it with your friends and other peers who may enjoy their content.
