Dear Reader,
I recently saw a documentary about The New York Times called Page One. It dwelled largely on the uncertain fate of the newspapers and the growing reluctance of American readers to care about the journalism as a foundation to a democratic society. It was a glum movie with clear takeaways: journalism is serious, journalism is important.
But why can’t journalism also be fun? This is why I love the Newspaper Club at 826 Seattle. Here are budding writers who are so enthusiastic about writing, they’ll do it even after getting through all of their homework (and let me tell you, kids today have so much homework!). Within these pages are news stories, profiles, reviews, comics, and more—all of which I guarantee are 100% fun.
A couple weeks ago, the Newspaper Club took a field trip to the offices of The Daily, the award-winning newspaper of the University of Washington. The tour started in the advertising department, where Kristin Millis, our guide, explained that “to make newspapers, you need to have advertising because it’s a business.”
Sure, there are ads in The Telescope, but there’s no money behind them. And perhaps that’s what makes this newspaper so great. Unlike The Daily or The New York Times, The Telescope is not a business, but journalism in its purest form: being passionate about a story and telling it honestly. Putting together this newspaper was a lot of fun—I can’t think of a better argument for why journalism is important.
Kevin Nguyen, 826 Tutor and newspaper club advisor
