The Harvard Independent is proud to present our first issue of 2024, “Renewal.”
When I first walked into the Indy offices, I was simply looking for something interesting to keep me busy. I wanted to use my writing skills and find a creative outlet while I focused my academics on Applied Mathematics. I also wanted a community. Two years later, I have found all of these things and more. I am, therefore, very proud to take over as Editor-in-Chief from Marbella Marlo ’24, whose guidance and leadership has been inspirational.
This is, however, a tricky time to be running a student-led newspaper at Harvard. Our school has been overrepresented in the headlines for the last couple months, for controversies surrounding our leadership and the culture on campus, particularly in relation to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Peoples’ sense of safety and belonging has been called into question. Amidst a bid to support free speech, animosity has instead been freely thrown around, pressuring platforms like ours to let the world know what we think.
These formative months have taught me some important lessons which reinforce the importance of what we do, remind me why I love the Indy, and teach us as both students and an organization to do better.
I’ve witnessed firsthand the pressing need for unbiased and representative news sources. Having spoken with friends and relatives from different parts of the world over break, I was surprised to hear about the simplified perceptions of Harvard that they had recently gained. Some believed Harvard to be a deeply unsafe place, rampant with violent attacks, while others entirely dismissed reports of hatred or only certain forms of it. While each student has experienced something different on campus, external media has tried to tell our story for us—this has led perceptions of the reality to be warped, filtered by the passing of information through the public sphere, and further skewed by political sources.
The Indy does not have a political affiliation, nor do we publish institutional stances on public issues. Our news is long-form, investigative, and firsthand reporting. Opinions in our Forum pieces belong to the writer, and we are proud to give all students the space to make their voices heard—in fact, we encourage opposing opinions within the same issue. This allows us to stay true to our commitment to unbiased reporting, where the focus is on revealing overlooked aspects of Harvard, rather than telling our readers what to think.
As part of the conversation about bias, we have learned the need to champion student voices. Since our founding during the Vietnam War, the Indy has allowed those marginalized by mainstream media to be heard, and we will continue to do so. We will support students as they share experiences with our readers, so that they will not be drowned out by the plurality of louder voices out there.
As questions have been raised about academic integrity at Harvard and other colleges, we have learned the importance of honesty and accuracy. The Indy’s recent growth in staff allows us to create new positions each semester and increase the number of eyes on each article, as well as in-person interaction between editors and writers. This will maintain the integrity of our material, but I also hope to be held accountable by our readers.
Nevertheless, we should not always take ourselves too seriously. I joined the Indy specifically for its creativity, and I became Arts Editor last year in order to celebrate artistic expression. Our design, creative arts pieces, and videos are some of the things that give us our distinctive flair. This does not exempt us from journalistic standards, but enhances our ability to find beautiful ways to tell weird and wonderful stories—we are proud of the Indy’s artistic brand.
At the Indy, I have learned the importance of good journalism. I have learned what it means to tell a good story. I have learned to edit and to teach others. I have learned to collaborate with a close-knit group to create something valuable each week. I look forward to the many lessons ahead, and I could not be happier to strive for a renewal of the Indy’s mission alongside this new team.
In 2024, the Independent is in a better position than ever to make important contributions to campus life. We have our largest masthead in recent years with 107 staff, compared to around 30 when I joined. We have an incredibly talented team of editors and an experienced board of executives. I have made many of my closest friends at 12 Arrow Street, including our new President, Eliza Kimball ’25, who will lead the organization with passion and poise. The Harvard community is reading our words, and we at the Harvard Independent intend to use those words carefully.
Yours,
Andrew Spielmann ’25
Editor-in-Chief