CWU Observer and PULSE Alumni Response to Defunding

Good morning Observer Staff, (please feel free to send this along to PULSE as well)

My name is Kyle Wilkinson and I am a CWU Alumni. I graduated in 2020 with a degree in digital journalism with a specialization in writing and reporting. I served on The Observer on the copy desk and as the photo editor in the spring and fall quarters of 2019, respectively. I also participated in PULSE magazine, writing and taking photos for the magazine for a portion of my time in the program and receiving national awards for my submissions.

I currently live in Willow, Alaska, a rural part of the state located an hour and a half north of Anchorage. During the summers I work as a fly fishing guide, but during the winters and in my free time I freelance for both local and national magazine publications and write and report for my local newspaper, The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

It is still a thrill for me whenever I see my name published in a byline. I know my family is proud when they can find my articles published in national magazines and read the newspaper articles that I send them. The greatest sense of satisfaction that I feel, however, is when I report for my local newspaper. I work with a small newsroom, a handful of freelance reporters, one staff reporter, one editor and a photographer who is also our publisher. Our newspaper covers an area roughly the size of West Virginia. It is an honor to be able to write about and interview people within the small community that I live in. Alaska is a small place and to be able to meet and get to know so many amazing people has been the most rewarding part of my journalism career.

The main focus of my reporting is on local businesses, attending events and sharing accomplishments in local schools. I’ve also covered sporting events such as the state swimming meets and state wrestling tournaments. Standouts in my time with the local paper were covering the Iron Dog Snow Machine Race, the longest and toughest snow machine race on Earth and the Iditarod dog sled race. I was able to write a preview for Iron Dog, write two team features, attend the start of the race where I was able to interview and photograph racers and attend the finish where I could interview and interact with the racers as they roared crossed the finish line. For Iditarod, I had the opportunity to speak to mushers before and after this year’s race and interact with them behind the scenes as they prepared for the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage. Due to low snow conditions, the Official Start of the race was moved to Fairbanks this year. On normal snow years the race starts less than three miles from my house and I would have had to opportunity to report from behind the scenes at the event. The connections that I’ve made within the community with honest and accurate reporting mean the absolute most to me and I can strongly say that I could not have done so without my time on The Observer and PULSE.

As a CWU alumni and former contributor to both The Observer and PULSE Magazine, I STRONGLY urge S&A to reconsider defunding student media. I have made a successful career for myself because of my experiences with these two student publications, and I know others that have graduated from the program have done the same. At a time in our world when true and honest journalism is of the utmost importance, the students of Central Washington University NEED to have the opportunities to contribute and participate in student-led journalism. I can confidently say that I would not be where I am today in my journalism career without the experiences and the knowledge that I gained during my time with The Observer and PULSE Magazine.

PLEASE reconsider the decision to defund student-led journalism at Central Washington University. The loss to the students and the community would be devastating.

Thank you for your time,

Kyle Wilkinson

Fighting for Pulse's Future- Kyle Wilkinson