Abigail Sustar

There’s a new medium coming to Eckerd.  But don’t think newspaper!  And don’t think underground newspaper, either!  Social commentary is a thing of the past.  According to two high-achieving juniors who presented the idea to my journalism class, they are scrambling to put together a hyper-local forum. An outlet.  A small community manifestation on the internet.  Finally!  Students are encouraged to write whatever they want about whatever they want.  But first, the staff will ask that we please submit our ideas to them so that they can help us formulate our ideas.  Then, once it’s written, we submit it back to their staff for it to be edited.  So when we write whatever we want, we have to be sure it’s also exactly what they want.  Which actually makes sense.  Who wants to read a student 's piece that’s a total querulous complaint?  Or chock-full of libel?   Nobody.  Nobody does.  If these two high-achievers can pull this off, it seems like the forum will be one of the best ways for a student to “Voice” an intelligently crafted complaint, research, or praise about our community in a way that will produce reform and, ultimately, make people think.  As if that's not enough, it will also be a great place to advertise student activist events or progressive club meetings where other activists and progressive thinkers will be sure to see them.  Smart.