Maia Popa, 10A
Nowadays, the idea of having a school newspaper can seem obsolete, as we have a plethora of other sources from which we can get our information. Nevertheless, for centuries, newspapers were the prevailing means of keeping up to date and being informed, even though their use has plummeted recently. Thus, why would we need one in our school, when there are so many other places to acquire information?
Firstly, newspapers serve as trustworthy, credible sources for obtaining information. Irrefutably, so much false information is spread everywhere nowadays that people refrain from trusting everything they come across on the Internet. Thus, newspapers can offer the information that students require in a way that ensures credibility and establishes a trusting audience. Furthermore, due to the lack of a trustworthy source that provides students with information about events that take place in the school, such as contests, trips, foreign exchanges or extracurricular activities, students are bound to miss out on a plenitude of things in which they would have desired to take part.
Moreover, a newspaper can convey important advice for students who find themselves in a difficult place or who are under undue circumstances and don’t have someone to rely on to offer them advice. It can become a safe place for students who are in hostile situations at home and find difficulty speaking up or those who have a belief that they are alone, when in fact there are plenty of students who might encounter the same problems.
Secondly, newspapers endorse the students’ voices be heard. It is a place that entails co-operation, an exchange of ideas and opinions, while also discovering a way to connect with the readers and influence their lives for the better. A newspaper advocates students who might want to pursue a career in this field later on in life, as it is a perfect way to practice, yet it also helps the newspaper team gain a set of skills that are unique and hard to develop elsewhere, such as writing and editing skills, confidence for putting out your ideas and a sense of co-operation and mutual understanding. A newspaper is a place where students can immerse themselves into sifting ideas and thoughts and help them become more cognizant of the place where they spend a majority of their lives; thus, they are no longer oblivious to what goes on in their surroundings. It is obvious that newspapers convey a better comprehension of the student body’s mindset. Having a newspaper in our school is an idea replete of advantageous factors in terms of enhancing the skills that some of the students already have and creating a rapport between each other.
When so many students work together towards something, it is impossible that there won’t be life-long connections made. In a place where ideas float around and thoughts are exchanged continuously, where alike minds complement each other and different ones contrast each other, students can fluctuate their attitude into a confident one and they can become intrepid to expressing their ideas without any kind of shame. Furthermore, a newspaper helps people who usually refrain from from evincing their ideas to other people and it urges them to find their voice, especially those who tend to dither or vacillate between opinions or thoughts.
To conclude with, it is my belief that a newspaper should be a crucial part of any school, as it is a place from which students can be provided with the information they require, but it also abets the ones in the writing team gain an important set of skills and create lasting connections, whilst also helping them find their voice.
So, why would YOU not contribute to our next number? I am sure YOU have ideas aplenty and we would live to hear from YOU!
We do not judge, We DEBATE! Come on, be part of the team of Moise’s outspoken student leaders!