Dear readers,

As the school year comes to a close, so too does our time as the editor-in-chief and managing editor of The Observer. As our final contribution to the paper, we take this opportunity to talk about the importance of journalism, both in general and specifically on college campuses. We hold immense gratitude for the opportunity to have led such a brilliant and dedicated team on such a worthy mission. We are lucky to say that our positions at The Observer are how we understand our roles as students at Fordham. 

The press is a pillar of democracy; without it, there is nobody to hold the rich and powerful accountable. As a student newspaper, that mission translates into the objective to inform the school community of what is occurring on their campus that they might otherwise miss. In the past year, we’ve reported on budgetary changes, unionizations, student government legislation, and concerns between faculty and the university administration, as well as city and national news that directly affect the Fordham Lincoln Center community.

Having experienced the power of journalism, admittedly on a more local and microcosmic scale, it has only become more evident to us that we must fervently defend the fourth estate to defend democracy. We must equip ourselves with the skills necessary to build resilient news outlets and teams to forge ahead. The only world in which that is possible is one that includes experienced, seasoned journalists. We are forever fortunate to have had the opportunity to sharpen our journalistic instincts while serving the community we care so much about.

The Observer is a well-oiled machine that requires many moving parts to go to print every other Tuesday night.

Of course, leadership is not a solo experience. The team at The Observer is a well-oiled machine that requires many moving parts to go to print every other Tuesday night. Our editors stand out because they have volunteered their time outside of class, work and whatever other responsibilities they have in life to meet tight deadlines, make last-minute changes and work with one another to do reporting that sustains our completely student-run publication. Each editor and contributor’s invisible labor to keep the newsroom functional and resilient does not go unnoticed by us. 

Leaders are only as great as their teams are, and we are proud to say that our team has made us work hard and be our best selves, both as editors and leaders. We owe all our success to them, as well as our dedicated contributors and staff writers. It has been a privilege to read and publish all their work.

The uncertainty of journalism today ignites a protective feeling. Having led a team of journalists this year, it quickly became clear the extent to which leadership requires advocacy: protecting staff members, defending editorial decisions, getting a foot in the door with sources and establishing trust.

Aside from the important work of spreading truth and holding people in power accountable, journalism — and student journalism, in particular — serves to create a community. The importance of local journalism cannot be overstated. What else could serve as the launching pad for nascent artists, businesses and community leaders? 

AI cannot write a story that pays testimony to the real people involved. It cannot capture, in one photo, what a few hundred words serve to explain.

As the student voice of Fordham Lincoln Center, we’re proud to have overseen coverage that pays testimony to the character of our beloved, unique campus. Breaking news is not the only part of our job — publishing student profiles, columns and arts and culture coverage, as well as thought-provoking opinions, is also crucial to the maintenance of both a newspaper and a community. It was an honor to oversee such a process.

Additionally, in this age of artificial intelligence (AI), it would be remiss not to highlight The Observer’s remarkable position as a bastion of original human creativity. AI can assist in the automation of many rote tasks (what would we be without Slack’s transcription feature?), but what it cannot do is interview a subject in a compassionate and perceptive way. 

AI cannot write a story that pays testimony to the real people involved. It cannot capture, in one photo, what a few hundred words serve to explain. It cannot come up with a page layout that does justice to the words and pictures of a story, nor can it record a thought-provoking and delightful podcast or imagine a social media post that perfectly encapsulates and advertises an article. Only we, as writers, photojournalists and creative editors, can do so.

At the outset of our tenures, we set a clear priority that we have since accomplished: to devote our first semester to rebuilding the foundation of The Observer so that the second semester could be spent pursuing excellence. We are proud to say that we have met that benchmark for ourselves. We are confident that The Observer will only soar to even higher and greater heights in the hands of its new capable upper management and editorial board.

Being a member of The Observer was the most formative experience of our lives. The people who stood at our side are the greatest gift. Though parting with a publication to which you have poured so much into is sad, what comforts us is the lasting friendships we have created, which will continue to testify to the bonding power of journalism. We might not have said so in the moment, but those late Tuesday nights were so worth it if it meant not only publishing quality journalism for our community, but also finding companionship and solidarity with others. 

Thank you to our incredible board of editors: news, arts & culture, opinions, sports & health, fun & games, features, photo, podcast, multimedia, graphics, copy, layout, socials, business … the list goes on. It has been an honor and a privilege to learn from you all.

Thank you to our trusted advisor Richard Rosen, who challenged us by continually asking what more we could do to enhance each story, counseled and supported our editorial and leadership decisions ardently, and imparted to us wisdom from his storied career in journalism. Thank you, Rich — The Observer is better because of your very honest and very sage advice.

Thank you to the Office of Student Involvement, particularly Christina Frankovic-Sepsi and Sandy Vargas. Their guidance from start to finish this year propelled us to achieve our goals and guaranteed the survivability of The Observer.

Thank you to each and every professor, faculty member and administrator who took time out of their busy schedules to sit down with our writers for interviews — on the record or on background. It often takes a village to collect all the sources needed to build a strong journalism story and your insight helped immensely in better informing our community.

Thank you to The Observer alumni who onboarded us and checked in throughout the year to provide support. We lend a special thanks to The Observer Alumni Affinity Chapter, who were a great help with fundraising and organizing our alumni panel event, as well as providing us pizza at our hardest moments — truly a most welcome motivation. We’re thrilled to join such a distinguished group of Fordham graduates!

We most look forward to watching this next group of leaders at The Observer accomplish what we have no doubt they are capable of.

Yours in gratitude,

Jane Roche and Ana Winston

Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor, 2025-26