A Note from the Editor

This summer, I represented California as a National Youth Correspondent at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference. Among some of the amazing speakers, such as Hoda Kotb and Candy Crowley, was a less recognizable figure who may go down in history as one of the greatest journalists of the twentieth century (at least he’s number two on my list), Brian Lamb.

Lamb is the founder of CSPAN and represents everything I admire about journalism. He is the epitome of a public servant– for the first time ever he gave Americans the opportunity to consume congressional sessions like episodes of “Breaking Bad.” He wasn’t in it for the money or the notoriety. No. Lamb represents a kind of journalist that’s become rarer and rarer.

As editor-in-chief of the Vista Voice, I want to uphold the values of men like Lamb and Edward R. Murrow. Readership, to me, is a perk — not the ultimate goal. I would rather educate our readers about real world events, like Syria and the government shutdown, and showcase some of the amazing people on our campus (and believe me there are many) than obsess over numbers.

It sounds pretentious. What gives some high school student the right to decide what gets coverage? In short, nothing. I make decisions alongside our amazing staff and our incredible adviser (who I actually admire more than Lamb).

But still, it doesn’t end there. This is where you come in.

One of our goals this year is to equally represent all students on campus, but to do that, we need your help. We have so many incredible programs– from Guitar Nation, to sports, to the arts, to student government, to clubs, to the academics. (Did I leave anybody out? Because they’re awesome, too.) As you can see, it’s hard to recognize, much less name them all. Let us know about some of the spectacular things your organization does. It might just end up in print.

With that said, to me, The Voice symbolizes not just reader opinions, but a force bigger than all of us. (We still want your opinions, too, though.) The Voice is a powerful tool we can use to educate some of our readers about what’s going on in the world around them, at home and across the globe. I strive to uphold the values of the Fourth Estate- because public service is why I chose this profession. With media coverage often bordering on biased and irrelevant today, it’s hard to find a trustworthy news source. Trust us.

It’s easy to write us off as a high school newspaper, but we aim to defy your expectations. There’s a learning curve here, with our new staff working hard to honor the legacy of our inaugural class. But we’ll get there, if you don’t think we’re there already.

Well, if you’ve read this far than you are too kind (or a relative of mine — hi, family). Either way, thank you so much for your support. As a student paper, we work for all of the wonderful people connected to our school. And that is a privilege we take very seriously. Thank you.

With regards,

Jamie Jordan

[email protected]