As journalists on The Tower staff this year, our main goal is to be accurate and to find and share the truth. A free press has been a valued facet of American freedom, outlined in the first amendment of our constitution. Recently, though, it seems that the American people have lost sight of the great service journalists provide for them.

Everywhere in the news, we can find examples of our five first amendment freedoms under attack, such as when President Trump said “the Washington Post is far more fiction than fact”, according to The Guardian. As young, aspiring journalists, the Trump administration’s attacks on the media stand out to us above the rest. We are lucky to be a student paper that is not under prior review, which allows us to freely express our voices and make sure your voices are heard as well. There are several cases where high school press is restricted, such as when Eagle Nation Online, Prosper High School in Texas’s online publication, had to submit their stories to the principal for his approval and opinion pieces were banned (until this decision was reversed this year).

We at The Tower are not “the enemy of the American people”.  We are your peers, students who are in your classes and walk the halls with you every day.

We, like all good journalists, want to know the truth and think you deserve that too. This year, we are working hard to be certain we have the strongest sources and the most information possible. We are going to do our research and report a fair, honest story, even if that makes it harder for ourselves to write. Our goal is to give the South community the information– the truth– it needs to know.

The Tower, like all credible news sources, is here to serve its readers. We are a free press that acts like a fourth branch of government; a check on power.  At our high school level, we use our voice to highlight decisions that are made by the school board, city council or administration. We never aim to target a group or endorse any specific stance, only to inform the community and student body about changes that will affect them in their day to day lives.

Have we covered some controversial topics? Yes. Will we continue to do so, if it is newsworthy and what the public should know about, even if it makes people uncomfortable? Absolutely. That’s part of what defines good journalism.

We have covered sensitive topics such as a court case against our school system, mental health, gun control, vaping in our school, marijuana usage and underage drinking. We don’t shy away from difficult issues but ensure we cover them accurately and completely.

The Tower provides not only The Tower staff’s but each of your voices a platform to express their concerns and stories to a large audience in a meaningful and sophisticated manner. We want to be a voice for the voiceless this year and represent South’s students accurately You are the sources for many of our stories. You are the audience of the paper. Your opinions can and should be heard.  Please, give us feedback by writing a letter to the editor, or tell us what you want to know about by filling out the google form on thetowerpulse.net. We want you to help us inform you and write about what you want to know about.

We want to ensure that our school and community is informed. We are watchdogs. We are journalists. We love seeing people in the hallways, at lunch and in classes reading the paper we work so hard to print each week, and we value getting the truth out to you. Without some of the information we give, nobody would care enough about some important topics. So please, next time you see The Tower around the school or think about visiting the website, don’t hesitate.