Student View: Behind the scenes at the State News

Hannah Locke is a JMC sophomore majoring in Social Relations & Policy. She also works as a reporter with the State News, MSU's student newspaper.

I started working for the State News in the spring semester of my freshman year. Before I got my first position, I had an interview with the editor-in-chief. I walked into the newsroom, the desks for each section were laid out and print editions dating back to the earlier 1900s were hung on the walls alongside multiple awards. I could tell right away that I was entering a space steeped in history and immense value.

When I came in I met with Morgan Womack, she was a senior studying journalism and the current editor-in-chief. Morgan was approachable and kind, and also obviously committed to the work that the State News was doing. She explained to me that the publication was entirely run by students, with a handful of professional staff members that assisted along the way. 

Luckily, I got the job and during my first staff meeting I discovered that Morgan was not the only person strongly committed to the State News. Every editor, reporter, designer, photographer, and professional staff member understood the values and mission of the State News and wanted to do them justice. 

After one year on the State News, the thing I love most outside of the stories I write are the people I work with. Every day, I am inspired by the work and commitment of my peers. Editors and reporters are constantly pushing each other, coming up with story ideas that make our publication and community better.

We have administrative reporters on our campus desk who work tirelessly to hold campus leaders accountable; sports reporters who attend every event, giving our student athletes the high-quality coverage and recognition they deserve; life reporters who cover communities on campus and off; and multimedia reporters who never fail to amaze me with their incredible talents to take photo and video that belong in museums.

My peers on the State News make me a better writer, reporter and community member. I am surrounded by people who strive to create professional content that is diverse, trusted, ethical, unbiased, accurate, fair and balanced, just as our mission statement dictates. They also do not settle. Everyone is always working to make our coverage better than it was yesterday, because there is always opportunity for growth and better, more diverse content.

This year leaders within our publication have held weekly trainings that encourage and teach top tier reporting, interviewing, representation and research. Editors hold their reporters accountable to their work, encouraging them to seek out a diverse array of sources that fit with their stories, making them better and more relatable to our community. And reporters seek out new stories and voices daily to give the vast number of communities on and off campus the coverage they deserve.

Behind the scenes students are working within our advertising and marketing teams to fundraise and make sure our publication is able to continue producing the amazing work that it does. Without them, we would not be able to pay our workers and we would not be able to release as many stories as we do.

The State News can only be as good as the students who run it and I am inspired every day by the quality, integrity, and talent of my peers. They are what I love most about working there.

Hannah Locke is a JMC sophomore majoring in Social Relations & Policy. She also works as a reporter with the State News, MSU's student newspaper.

I started working for the State News in the spring semester of my freshman year. Before I got my first position, I had an interview with the editor-in-chief. I walked into the newsroom, the desks for each section were laid out and print editions dating back to the earlier 1900s were hung on the walls alongside multiple awards. I could tell right away that I was entering a space steeped in history and immense value.

When I came in I met with Morgan Womack, she was a senior studying journalism and the current editor-in-chief. Morgan was approachable and kind, and also obviously committed to the work that the State News was doing. She explained to me that the publication was entirely run by students, with a handful of professional staff members that assisted along the way. 

Luckily, I got the job and during my first staff meeting I discovered that Morgan was not the only person strongly committed to the State News. Every editor, reporter, designer, photographer, and professional staff member understood the values and mission of the State News and wanted to do them justice. 

After one year on the State News, the thing I love most outside of the stories I write are the people I work with. Every day, I am inspired by the work and commitment of my peers. Editors and reporters are constantly pushing each other, coming up with story ideas that make our publication and community better.

We have administrative reporters on our campus desk who work tirelessly to hold campus leaders accountable; sports reporters who attend every event, giving our student athletes the high-quality coverage and recognition they deserve; life reporters who cover communities on campus and off; and multimedia reporters who never fail to amaze me with their incredible talents to take photo and video that belong in museums.

My peers on the State News make me a better writer, reporter and community member. I am surrounded by people who strive to create professional content that is diverse, trusted, ethical, unbiased, accurate, fair and balanced, just as our mission statement dictates. They also do not settle. Everyone is always working to make our coverage better than it was yesterday, because there is always opportunity for growth and better, more diverse content.

This year leaders within our publication have held weekly trainings that encourage and teach top tier reporting, interviewing, representation and research. Editors hold their reporters accountable to their work, encouraging them to seek out a diverse array of sources that fit with their stories, making them better and more relatable to our community. And reporters seek out new stories and voices daily to give the vast number of communities on and off campus the coverage they deserve.

Behind the scenes students are working within our advertising and marketing teams to fundraise and make sure our publication is able to continue producing the amazing work that it does. Without them, we would not be able to pay our workers and we would not be able to release as many stories as we do.

The State News can only be as good as the students who run it and I am inspired every day by the quality, integrity, and talent of my peers. They are what I love most about working there.

Hannah Locke is a JMC sophomore majoring in Social Relations & Policy. She also works as a reporter with the State News, MSU's student newspaper.

I started working for the State News in the spring semester of my freshman year. Before I got my first position, I had an interview with the editor-in-chief. I walked into the newsroom, the desks for each section were laid out and print editions dating back to the earlier 1900s were hung on the walls alongside multiple awards. I could tell right away that I was entering a space steeped in history and immense value.

When I came in I met with Morgan Womack, she was a senior studying journalism and the current editor-in-chief. Morgan was approachable and kind, and also obviously committed to the work that the State News was doing. She explained to me that the publication was entirely run by students, with a handful of professional staff members that assisted along the way. 

Luckily, I got the job and during my first staff meeting I discovered that Morgan was not the only person strongly committed to the State News. Every editor, reporter, designer, photographer, and professional staff member understood the values and mission of the State News and wanted to do them justice. 

After one year on the State News, the thing I love most outside of the stories I write are the people I work with. Every day, I am inspired by the work and commitment of my peers. Editors and reporters are constantly pushing each other, coming up with story ideas that make our publication and community better.

We have administrative reporters on our campus desk who work tirelessly to hold campus leaders accountable; sports reporters who attend every event, giving our student athletes the high-quality coverage and recognition they deserve; life reporters who cover communities on campus and off; and multimedia reporters who never fail to amaze me with their incredible talents to take photo and video that belong in museums.

My peers on the State News make me a better writer, reporter and community member. I am surrounded by people who strive to create professional content that is diverse, trusted, ethical, unbiased, accurate, fair and balanced, just as our mission statement dictates. They also do not settle. Everyone is always working to make our coverage better than it was yesterday, because there is always opportunity for growth and better, more diverse content.

This year leaders within our publication have held weekly trainings that encourage and teach top tier reporting, interviewing, representation and research. Editors hold their reporters accountable to their work, encouraging them to seek out a diverse array of sources that fit with their stories, making them better and more relatable to our community. And reporters seek out new stories and voices daily to give the vast number of communities on and off campus the coverage they deserve.

Behind the scenes students are working within our advertising and marketing teams to fundraise and make sure our publication is able to continue producing the amazing work that it does. Without them, we would not be able to pay our workers and we would not be able to release as many stories as we do.

The State News can only be as good as the students who run it and I am inspired every day by the quality, integrity, and talent of my peers. They are what I love most about working there.