By Bailey Wimberly
Editor-in-Chief
Editorial
As someone who grew up working in the social media industry, I knew I wanted to come to school to pursue my marketing degree, but since joining The Johnsonian in my first semester at Winthrop, I have grown to love journalism. A year and a half later, I stand here as the Editor-in-Chief of this newspaper, something I knew nothing about or even cared for. Now, I want to open your eyes to the importance of journalism the same way mine were.
Imagine you are sitting in a small writing lab, able to fit about fifteen students maximum. You are in Johnson Hall, the air conditioning is broken, and your professor walks in with a crisp Diet Mountain Dew. The man of the hour is Professor William Schulte, an associate professor of Mass Communication. He greeted the class with a warm smile, bigger than no other I have seen before.
This is where I began to love journalism.
We cracked jokes, created life-long friendships, and discussed controversial topics.
Throughout the course, Professor Schulte approached me about joining The Johnsonian. Originally, I expressed interest in the social media and web editor position, but it became filled by someone else. He pivoted, “What about layout?” Professor Schulte asked. As someone who wanted to be involved, I jumped at the opportunity. As time went by, I took every chance to learn something new and better myself to prepare for the journey ahead and began working with The Johnsonian.
In one short semester, I had fallen in love with every aspect of journalism: the interviews, story-telling, photography, and designing the layout. Though, one piece of journalism always resonated with me more than others, one singular statement, “our job is to report the truth.”
As one of the key concepts in journalism, I have noticed a pattern throughout my time here within social media and journalism, mainly given the current state of our country. It is a sore yet familiar topic on my tongue; censorship.
Censorship is the “suppression or prohibition of speech, public communication, or information deemed objectionable, harmful, or inconvenient by an authority,” according to the Oxford Language definition.
Take a second and really think about it. What are things that are directly censored in our lives?
For me, I immediately think of social media such as TikTok or Instagram. In the last few months, the United States has experienced an increase in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers throughout the country. During this time, many videos of ICE officers have surfaced online showcasing violent and illicit conduct by these agents while performing their duties, most recently in Minnesota. Many people are unsure what is truly happening in our country; one person hears one thing while someone else hears another.
This is directly influenced by state sponsored censorship of information across our nation, not allowing people to understand what is real and what is fake.
One main piece of censorship and widespread media that I do not believe is talked about enough is that only one percent of the Jeffrey Epstein files have been released. The government is attempting to suppress these files and censor what is on them, but why?
For many, it is a violation of transparency and honesty, but others believe that the government is trying to protect the elite upper class of our society. Either way, these files continue to be unreleased, directly defying the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by the government.
To some, these topics may not seem important or worth talking about, but to myself and many others, it is our job to report the truth. Not only does censorship directly defy our first amendment right to freedom of speech, but it suppresses millions of voices that deserve to be heard. So I ask you all, do not stay quiet. Stand tall.
During my time as Editor-in-Chief of this newspaper, I will not refrain from reporting the truth. I strive to create an honest, accurate, and transparent newspaper and environment for Winthrop University.
To close, I will leave you all with one of my favorite phrases, “if you don’t want me to write about it, then don’t do it.”
With that being said, thank you to everyone who continues to support me and my journeys at Winthrop. Cheers to new beginnings!
