As this year comes to an end, I want to thank the Lutrinae’s staff, our advisor Dave Kellogg, and all of the Lutrinae’s loyal readers for teaching me so much about journalism and about myself throughout my time as editor-in-chief.
I’ve been with the Lutrinae since 2022, first as a contributor, then as a staff writer, and now as editor-in-chief. This job has been immensely rewarding and I am so proud of the work we have done as well as the quality of journalism we’ve produced. As journalists, we always strive to be objective, report the facts, and let our readers come to their own conclusions. At times, it has been difficult to keep my own beliefs out of the headlines.
The following words solely reflect my own thoughts, and are not representative of the opinions of my colleagues, or of Cal State Monterey Bay.
I want to express my support for the Associated Students Ceasefire Resolution. The horrific violence against Palestinians occurring on their native land must end immediately. A permanent ceasefire and divestment from Israel is a concrete way to achieve this. I urge CSUMB and CSU administration to listen to its student body, and divest from Israel.
This is a cause very important to me, and truthfully, it’s been difficult to remove my own bias from our coverage of Pro-Palestinian student movements on our campus. I believe what we’re seeing in Gaza is a genocide. But, I have done my best to conduct the Lutrinae’s coverage of these events in a manner similar to that of other professional publications. That has meant following certain guidelines regarding the characterization of what’s happening in Gaza so that our readers can come to their own conclusion. Overall, I am proud that the Lutrinae has followed our profession’s guidelines closely to preserve our journalistic values.
When I accepted this job around this time last year, my hopes were to foster an environment where our team could shine in their creativity, and most of all, be a voice for students. I wanted to highlight student’s voices and shed light on important social issues my peers were concerned with. While it has been a tough road, I can confidently say that our team has done this.
I hope students continue voicing their beliefs on this campus. I also hope the Lutrinae continues to be a safe space to report on these beliefs.
Thank you again to all those who have supported me in this journey. I will look back on Volume 7 of the Lutrinae with immense gratitude.
Sincerely,
Andrea Valadez
Editor-in-Chief of the Lutrinae