By Liv Barry
Editor-in-Chief
By total coincidence, as I was procrastinating writing my goodbye and ruminating on what grand takeaways I could impart to The Elm’s readership, I found myself in a showing of Alex Garland’s “Civil War” — a film that, little did I know before entering the theater, follows a group of journalists as they cover a second civil war in the United States.
The film’s lead, Lee, is a photojournalist worn down from years of capturing atrocities on camera. Yet, in the face of violence, she holds a puzzling ideology when it comes to journalism.
When explaining to her mentee what their role as journalists are in a war-torn America, Lee chastised the rookie for caring for the subjects she photographed.
“We take pictures so other people can ask questions,” Lee said.
Once the credits rolled, the line still stuck around in my head. As journalists, are we not supposed to ask people difficult questions? Are we not supposed to care about our subjects? The positioning of journalists as entirely neutral beings was frustrating, and quite frankly, stupid.
While I will not give my full review — though that would be a fitting homage to how I started at The Elm — the blundering politics of “Civil War” finally sparked the thoughts that I needed to write my goodbye.
In a year marked with strife for Washington College — including a nationally-covered protest, a proposed faculty union, and the continued overturn of faculty and staff members — staying on top of coverage was exhausting. However, every member of The Elm’s editorial team, including myself, dedicated ourselves to writing and editing out of a deep sense of care and perhaps even more importantly, urgent curiosity.
As student journalists, we have a vested interest in what happens on campus. We cannot feign detachment; even as we go great lengths to avoid conflicts of interest, what we cover directly impacts us, especially on a campus as small as WC.
When my staff and I ask questions during interviews, there are always other inquiries lurking just under the surface: What would WC look like if things were different? How would life improve? How would life worsen?
If there is one sentiment I want to impart to our current Elm staff, it is this: We should ask questions not just to be objective observers — though that position certainly has its place in journalism — but because we operate out of care for our community and curiosity about the happenings around us.
I know that this thought is far from groundbreaking. My belief is made especially conventional when I consider my editorial staff, who, over the course of the past year, proved that the strongest journalism stems from a deep investment in one’s community.
The sentiment is apparent through the reporting of my two senior colleagues and closest friends, Grace Apostol and Sophie Foster, who have covered campus issues with tenacity, bravery, and care. I cannot thank you enough for your quality news and opinion coverage, and more importantly, your friendship. I do not think I would have survived a day as editor-in-chief without your input.
Our juniors — Heather Fabritze, Faith Jarrell, and Dom Rapposelli — also exemplify this idea. Without your care for our campus and its residents, we would not be able to reach the nooks and crannies of WC that we cover. I am so excited to see where your passion for the craft will take you.
To my copy editors, Grace Hogsten, Vee Sharp, and Delaney Runge: your diligence leads this paper. It is a gift to work with people who care so deeply about the quality of work we publish. I will dearly miss our Monday afternoon copy sessions and the constant laughs and stream of new information you all bring to the table.
Of course, I would be remiss to not also acknowledge the care held by our behind-the-scenes editorial staff, Mikayla Silcox and Mary Clymer. Thank you both for always coming into the Pub House after hours to ensure that The Elm can be seen by everyone on and off campus.
Thank you to my mentors, Dan Divilio and Emma Reilly. Without your guidance — as well as the help from the folks at the Lit House — I would have had no idea where to even begin with this paper.
Finally, to The Elm’s incoming editor-in-chief, Riley Dauber — I do not think that I have ever met someone as organized and hard-working as you. After years of demonstrating your care for our campus and The Elm, your work has paid off, and I am so excited to see where you will lead the publication. Care and curiosity are paramount in journalism, but these attitudes are nothing without the drive to back them up; you insert that drive into everything you do, and I know that you will continue to do so throughout your tenure.
As we approach a new chapter for The Elm, I am confident that you all will continue to carry that deep sense of care in your writing. Regardless of whether you are reporting on changes made by administration, the quality of dining hall food, or even just a new fashion trend, I know that you will write not for others to ask the difficult questions, but so you can spark change yourselves.
Photo by Sophie Foster
Photo Caption: Previously, Liv wrote as an Elm staff writer in her sophomore year and acted as the Lifestyle Editor during her junior year.