Welcome back to the Hill. After a short hiatus from the hustle and bustle, students are back to FAMU and the daily routine of attending or not attending class, posting on the Set, wrestling with financial aid and fighting for parking spaces.
It’s about that time: Time to go to parties, hit up the clubs and most importantly hit the books. After a week of getting back into the daily routine, you should now be settled, focused and ready to work.
The Famuan staff would like to welcome you to the first issue of the fall 2004 semester. This semester will serve as a transitional time for the newspaper as we move from a tabloid size to a broadsheet. The Famuan is going to have a more professional look and along with that, more in-depth, intriguing and investigative content.
With the larger size we have more space to fill and therefore will have longer stories, bigger photos and better use of design techniques. This is a brand new time for The Famuan newspaper and a time for progression, improvement and change.
One thing that will remain the same is the mission of our newspaper. Every newspaper must have a mission and The Famuan’s has remained the same since its creation. Our mission is to be the voice of Florida A&M University and to be the No. 1 source of news for FAMU students.
Keeping with this mission The Famuan will continue to develop its reputation as a reputable, reliable news source dependent on fairness and accuracy in its reporting. No organizations should despise The Famuan because they feel neglected and no sources should attempt to issue gag orders against Famuan reporters as they have attempted to do in the past. The Famuan will strive for error-free copy and that which reflects an objective view of current events.
Although we will remain objective, The Famuan will not shy away from reporting both the good and the bad news related to FAMU, the administration, student government, athletics or any other issue relevant to the readership of the newspaper. It is the duty of the newspaper to inform students, faculty, staff and the community about what is going on at the University. In the journalism business we call this the “watchdog” role.
At this point we would like to set the record straight about the newspaper. We are not a public relations tool for the University and although we receive part of our funding from Activities & Services fees, we are not a university-controlled publication. We welcome news advisories, story ideas and coverage suggestions, but in the end the editorial staff decides the newspaper’s content.
The fall 2004 Famuan staff will focus on organization, management, training and the production of a newspaper that reflects the excellence taught in the School of Journalism, Media and Graphic Communication at FAMU. This semester’s staff will set the bar high for semesters to come and will draw attention from readers nationwide.
Elizabeth Broadway is a senior newspaper journalism student from Atlanta. She can be reached at thefamuaneditor@hotmail.com.