In the first issue of the year, the Viking Vanguard set several goals for our publication. Chief among these is the Vanguard’s ambition to ensure a safe place for the student body to express their voices. It is important to us that our students’ stories are heard, their opinions valued. We are more than a newspaper, we are an “open forum for student expression,” as stated by our website.
Looking back over the past year, we can confidently state that this goal was met. We strove to cover sports we had ignored in the past, took photos at every event we could—no matter how small—and published stories on previously unknown clubs and classes. Our Yadda Yadda Yadda included students from all grades, teachers, administrators, and featured questions that gave insight into the mind of our school. A majority of our issues included a letter to the editor form, where readers can submit opinions or thoughts on our publication. Our website also attempted to feature more voices and activities. On our website you can find various photo galleries by Viking Student Media staffs not just of sporting events but assemblies and other events.
Another goal we met was that of a professional standard. This meant that we endeavored toward a style of writing, design, and publishing in a way that upholds the professionalism upheld by like-minded publications around the world. For 113 years, the Viking Vanguard has kept a level of competence revered by other newspapers, and it was our goal to ensure that didn’t stop with 2025. You can see our professionalism in the types of quotes we used in our stories and the way we went about getting credible sources for stories. We wanted to make sure that the information we provided the student body included authorities who had power in certain situations (like the road closing or the fate of the LSA Building) as well as experts on the topics we reported.
Also in our first issue was a guarantee that all news content is credible, timely, and gratifying to readers, whether positive or negative. Technology and social media throw information at students from all angles, but this year we made sure to discern truth from lies. In looking for sources, we prioritized those that we knew would give the most accurate representation of a situation. Whether investigating district turmoil or simply reporting on library renovations, our stories reflected our passion for fact.
We, as a staff, recognize the vast importance being informed has on the general population and we hope that we can use the success of this year to move into next year.
