A couple of weeks ago, through social media, we discovered a movement that we knew we wanted to be a part of as soon as we saw it. Started by the editors of The Alligator, University of Florida’s independent student newspaper, the #SaveStudentNewsrooms movement is needed now more than ever.

The constant attack and distrust of the media shouldn’t be targeted to student newsrooms. We are the fourth estate. We are here to hold those in power accountable. We are here to inform our communities on what is going on in their city, town, schools and universities. We are here for you. Most of the time, we are the only ones writing stories about Georgia Southern.

We spend most of our free time reporting, editing, designing and making sure you, our audience, gets the best content and information possible. We do all of these things with little to no pay, little to no support, little to no praise, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

We choose this profession because it is what we love. We are journalists, photographers, designers and more importantly students. We are here to gain valuable experience that we don’t get in a classroom setting. We are here to become the journalists of the future.

We know that we are not perfect. We are going to make mistakes and that is not okay. We hate making mistakes, but we hold ourselves accountable and you need to hold us accountable for our mistakes, the same way we hold those in power accountable for their mistakes.

We, at The George-Anne, have been very lucky in regards to the support Georgia Southern and our alumni have shown us. We haven’t faced censorship. We haven’t faced funding cuts. We haven’t faced what many student newsrooms across the country face every year, every month, every week and every day.

{{tncms-inline content=”<p>We can’t stay on the sidelines anymore. All these student newsrooms need our help. We ask all universities to support their student media. We ask all student leaders to support their student media. We ask all alumni to support their student media. We ask our communities to support their student media.</p>” id=”29bdc551-4ec9-4f97-9ef7-78ccc8744b79″ style-type=”quote” title=”Pull Quote” type=”relcontent”}}

You might not like us. Some of you might hate us, but our goal is to keep you informed on what is happening in our universities. We can’t keep you informed without your support.

Many student newsrooms around the country need our help. Join our movement. Visit savestudentnewsrooms.com to learn more about this movement and learn the hardships that our student newsrooms face. Read from other newsrooms across the country and see how lucky we are here at Georgia Southern. Read from alumni from around the country about how important students newsrooms have been for their career.

If you are interested in supporting The George-Anne and Student Media, we are currently in the middle of a fundraiser campaign. Head to our homepage, our Twitter and Facebook account to support the professional development of our staff or simply click here.

We will continue to do our jobs. We will continue to hold those in power accountable. We will continue to inform our community. We will continue to be the fourth estate.

Want to check out other editorials from around the country? Check out some below!

The Alligator – University of Florida

The Daily Wildcat – University of Arizona

The Duquesne Duke – Duquesne University

The Nevada Sagebrush – University of Nevada

The Independent Collegian – University of Toledo

The Free Press – University of Southern Maine

Have a letter to the editor you would like to submit? Email gaeditor@georgiasouthern.edu or click here.

The George-Anne Editorial Board, gaeditor@georgiasouthern.edu