Fighting for Pulse's Future- Katherine Camarata
LETTER TO THE EDITOR FROM THE EDITOR
Hello Observer staff! I am sending you lots of intentional hope and support in the letter below. Please let me know if you need me to edit it down for length or if you need anything else. Your work is important, always has been and always will be. Keep persevering.
To the CWU community, ASCWU and higher education administrators:
Before I joined student media outlets like The Observer, I had little confidence in myself as a neurodivergent, queer journalist who had not published anything in years. After working with trusted mentors like Jennifer Green to develop as a writer and editor, I became so clear in my voice and purpose that I was able to help survivors of assault and gender-based discrimination share their stories while collaborating on a publication that our team was proud of.
To defund student media outlets like The Observer is to remove an integral part of communication among students, administration and various organizations across CWU. This action restricts the only news publication in Ellensburg that is always actively running investigative stories, as was evidenced when I was told by editors of Ellensburg newspaper The Daily Record that the original breaking Cats Against Assault story could not be run in their publication due to the piece featuring anonymous sources.
Defunding The Observer greatly inhibits the opportunity for people to safely speak out against injustices at our university and in our town without fear of repercussions, as the Cats Against Assault founders expressed during our anonymous interviews in 2022.
The Observer has a history of breaking investigative pieces that would otherwise be swept under the rug, as was the case when Laynie Erickson wrote the dining services story in 2021, covering a manager who was still working around students after he was caught sexually harassing employees in the workplace. This story and the testimonies of the sources eventually led the person committing these acts to be given less access to students and placed a more discerning campus-wide eye upon his actions.
Women especially need an outlet to share stories of abuse and trauma in a reputable way without facing potential violence and harassment as backlash. Removing funding for student media publications is a slap in the face to all brave sources who shared their testimonies through The Observer and to any future women or students of any identities who will seek out a publication to share their truth in pursuit of freedom and justice.
There is somehow room in the budget for a salary increase for our university president, but when it comes to any funding for a publication that trains students to exercise their first amendment rights and push back against unjust patriarchal systems with testimonies from victims, CWU is falling short. Despite the salary increase and the funding for student media likely drawing from different financial wells, the power imbalance and skewed priorities in these decisions is not lost on many of us.
Budget cuts are happening nationwide and campus wide, but it is imperative to state that a campus newspaper reporting on topics that would otherwise not see the light of day should not be one of the casualties of this horrible, discriminatory presidential administration, especially not during a historic time in which our first amendment rights and our rights to live in a truly democratic nation are more at risk than ever.
To the young CWU journalists who are just starting to experience the world of publication during a time when everything seems to be falling apart: do not lose the courage to be hopeful and never let this extinguish the light within your voices! Student media will always exist, even if not in its current form. Throughout history, American students have shown their resourcefulness and resilience in the face of being silenced and treated as though we do not matter because we are not the ones in power.
Do not fall for this fallacy! While it may prove difficult to carry on, I urge you to continue to come together and speak out about injustices.
This starts with each of us individually. We can continue to write and interview others about their experiences, we can continue to publish podcasts or pieces of media that challenge current corrupt systems of power, and we can continue to support the people around us with care and compassion, showing them that every voice matters by empowering ourselves to find creative solutions to new barriers.
Do not let funding concerns stop you from creating, listening, collaborating, and sharing stories. Remember that your stories make an impact, your connection to community and the sharing of information matters, your ability to learn and live democratically matters now more than ever. Remember that you and your spirit are so much more powerful than any setbacks you may face. Use that voice of yours however you can, and always take care of your own health in the process.
With warmth and gratitude,
Katherine Camarata
Former Lead Editor of The Observer and PULSE magazine