The Seattle Collegian

To our readers,

Student journalism has returned to Seattle Central College.

Johnny Horton, English instructor and our faculty advisor, hired a board of editors at the end of fall quarter. Winter quarter, we hired a web team headed by student Emilio Chavez to design our initial web platform while we reported on our first stories.

We had an open house on February 7th and more than 40 students showed interest in writing for us or becoming editors for next year. This made it clear that there is an audience for our vision, and a large number of students who, like us, believe that we can practice real journalism while attending Seattle Central College.

This quarter, we plan to release an updated version of our website to help us bring you more forms of reporting, including video and live streaming, as well as audio. It will help us present the news with richer, more informative design.

Regardless of how we present our reporting, we promise to follow the foundations of serious journalism, the principles and standards of the industry. We will not work in isolation, but in the community. Expect to see us at clubs, events and public meetings, taking photographs and asking questions, as well as reaching out for ideas on what you want to know.

We will also provide resources for citizen journalists and unaffiliated student journalists, in the form of events and workshops, and through an online compendium of resources.

We will publish work from any student who has serious reporting that needs an outlet.

So far, that work has included a look into student food insecurity, international student labor issues, and tuition inconsistencies for asylum seekers in Washington State. We will continue to report on important issues that affect students, and to build a foundation for the future of journalism at Seattle Central.

Thanks again to our advisor, Johnny Horton. Thanks to our former Features Editor, Dan Facundo (congrats on graduating!). Thanks to our web team — Emilio Chavez, Anthony Stenberg, and Mariam Ayman. Thanks to Student Leadership for supporting us and especially to Dean Ricardo Leyva-Puebla for his work last year to bring an outlet for student journalism back to Seattle Central. And thanks to instructor Jeb Wyman for his mentorship and inspiration through this challenging journey. Without any one of you, this might not have happened.

Thank you for reading. We’re excited to be back.

Sincerely,

Joshua Scott
Editor-in-Chief
The Seattle Collegian