Letter from the Editor: Mixed Feelings Surrounding the Empire State Tribune

Photo courtesy of Myrian Garcia

(OPINION)

Dear Readers,

As many of you may be aware, I have assumed the role of Editor-in-Chief (EIC) for the Empire State Tribune (EST) during the Spring 2023 semester. A mid-year change in leadership due to the previous EIC’s graduation is uncommon. Nevertheless, I plan to take my role seriously. 

Although I am graduating in May, my goal is to leave the EST with a positive legacy — a foundation for the future EIC to follow. 

Having said that, I am well aware of the mixed feelings surrounding the Empire State Tribune shared by faculty, staff and students alike at The King’s College. As a leader, I do not intend to ignore such concerns but instead address them the best way I can.

Negative views on the publication are not a recent issue. The Imperial Tribunal (IMP), an anonymous satirical newspaper, published an article in May 2021 about how the EST has “lost its way.” Previous EIC, Paige Hagy, published a response emphasizing the “journalistic integrity” of the EST. While I will stand with my predecessors in the defense of student journalism, the IMP highlighted issues in the EST that I believe are still prevalent. 

As a transfer student, I became involved in the EST as a writer during my sophomore year. I was Campus Editor and last semester I served as Managing Editor. From then until now, the lack of students willing to write was always our main concern. 

My question is the following: how have we, as a publication, attempted to foster an environment that encourages students of any major to write and be published? 

The EST follows the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. Within the Society, there are four foundational principles of ethical journalism that we aim to uphold. As your Editor, I write this letter to keep this publication transparent and ask you, as the reader, to help keep us accountable. 

We strive for accurate and fair reporting as an impartial publication. Our goal for this semester and years to come is to foster more discussion on controversial issues. As student journalists, it is not our job to shy away from disagreements but to honor the differing opinions of our community. This publication is not a platform to harm members of the public or our fellow schoolmates but rather a place to voice our opinions and call out our institution when it falls short. 

Understanding that we are a news publication and not a blog, the EST plans to focus on covering newsworthy stories relevant to the King’s community and New York City. It is no secret that we, as a publication, fail to cover certain topics of interest or importance both within campus news and global happenings. To uphold our journalism standards, our team plans to more clearly separate hard news from opinion pieces. 

We also have plans to improve our online publication. As a multi-media entity, we are seeking ways to further engage with our audience through broadcast, social media and print. 

The ESTv, led by Executive Producer Sofia Valdes, has begun working towards providing more video content on its YouTube platform. ESTv is now starting to create engaging content on social media through Instagram Reels for bite-sized video information. 

Headed by Podcast Editor Matthew Peterson, the Broadway and Exchange podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This semester, we plan to make the podcast episodes available on the ESTv Youtube channel as well. 

The EST Weekly made a reappearance in stands around campus last semester. In an effort to increase readership, we plan to change the formatting and content of the EST Weekly in response to student feedback. The EST Weekly will be available to read Monday mornings.

As a team, we understand that the EST has room to grow. Our work is only possible through the creative dedication of students. To achieve this, our platform should help express ideas, not hinder them. We hope you feel encouraged to engage in student journalism by sharing your concerns and interests. We will do our part to listen and inform.

Best Wishes,

Myrian Garcia

Empire State Tribune Editor-in-Chief

Myrian Garcia is the Editor in Chief at the Empire State Tribune. She is a senior studying Journalism, Culture and Society.