The Augustana Observer is not just another student group on campus. It might have many of the same components—leadership positions, student members, faculty advisors, SGA funding—but the Observer is more than an organization. It is a tradition.
In reading issues of the Observer, one is looking at snapshots of moments in time, making it the perfect time capsule. Newspapers like the Observer are not just about being a first report of what is happening but also about being a lasting record of what has happened. This year the Observer will focus on being as transparent as possible in order to preserve the most intact experience on its pages.
Accuracy should not be a goal for its own sake but for the sake of reporting events as they happened, regardless of politics, public relations or personal preferences. Over the course of this year, the Observer will focus on mastering the pursuit of this lasting truth and telling its readers about it as fairly and completely as possible. This includes getting information out quickly through online and multimedia venues as well as the traditional printed copy. It includes covering all sides of every story and double-checking sources. It includes turning stories around as soon as possible so the experience stays as fresh and true on the page as the day it happened.
It is this kind of on-your-feet, vibrant and transparent writing that not only makes for better stories but also makes for better reporters and young professionals.
With that in mind, the Observer will enter this year with a new mentality about its role in tradition, record-keeping, personal and professional development. Augustana’s mission is to prepare students—mind, body and spirit—for a life of leadership and service in a world that is constantly changing. The Observer aids this mission, creating the perfect environment to help young leaders discover what they think about the world and what matters to them while they’re tracking down the truth of what happened at Augustana in the 2013-2014 school year.