By Troy Hudson

Hello, SeaWolves,

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Troy Hudson and I am the new managing editor of The Beacon. While I am stepping into this position for the first time, in the past I have served as creative director and then production manager of the paper.

The reason I’ve stayed committed to this newspaper is that I believe there is nothing else like it, either at SMCC or beyond. This paper is a reflection of the student body at SMCC and reveals our passions, preoccupations and shortcomings in equal measure. What we at The Beacon aspire to do is amplify the voices of students who bear witness to the world and have something to say about it. I believe these voices, your voices, are exactly what is needed right now.

As the loosely-defined concept of “fake news” enters the popular consciousness, the reputation of traditional media for providing truthful reporting of events, already on a long decline, has suffered a PR disaster. If integrity in the media is to be found again, it will have to come from a new generation of journalists. That generation reads and writes the newspaper you hold in your hands.

My commitment to you is that I will make every effort to keep The Beacon honest and accurate, relevant and timely, interesting and entertaining. But there is one caveat: I don’t write The Beacon — you do. This may be the only newspaper you ever read that invites you personally to contribute. Take a look at the staff box on Page 2 of this issue and see if you recognize any of the contributing writers, photographers or illustrators. If not, I’m not doing my job properly.

In my time at the paper’s helm, I want The Beacon to represent all of us at SMCC, and by US I mean YOU. The Beacon meets at the Captain’s House every other Tuesday, the same day the paper becomes available on campus, and there is always an open invitation to all interested students to join us.

Am I promising to publish each and every article that is submitted? Unfortunately not. But I do promise to give every submission a fair shot at publication as long as it serves the student body in some way. We at The Beacon are proud of what we do and we want you to feel the same way, so I encourage you to be a part of what we’re doing this semester and make The Beacon your own.

Read The Beacon. Write The Beacon.