Last year, Elon Musk experimented with our sacred trust in social media authenticity. He took the blue check, which has monopolized our faith in abstract virtual spaces over the past decade, and made it available for purchase. For only $8.
With the departure of a streamlined authentication process came the arrival of numerous impersonated celebrities, athletes, and businesses. One tweet from a fake account impersonating a pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly & Co., wrote, “We are excited to announce insulin is free now.” In hours, Eli Lilly’s stock plummeted by 4.35%—a nearly $15 billion drop in its original market cap price. But the tale of impersonation, mis- representation, and false words is one as old as time. In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin often wrote under numerous and often comical pseudonyms. While his actions did not cause a financial phenomenon, Franklin’s decision to post words unattributed to him shows us the innate and complicated desire for human beings to say things without consequence—something both increasingly relevant and dangerous. It’s no secret that social media has completely distorted our traditional methods of digesting news. While there are traces of romanticists reading the
physical daily paper, the vast majority of us receive our news virtually, instantly, and from anyone with a social media account. The implications are expected: when news platforms are democratized, the power
can easily fall into the hands of the wrong voices. But this does not necessarily lead to harm. The widespread ability to share stories has enabled us to criticize misconduct, raise awareness for generosity, and let the world know that their actions matter. Our advisors often refer to the Independent as a loaded gun. If used improperly, it can ignite catastrophe. But I’m not writing this to warn the Independent’s newly elected executive members of the increasingly urgent stakes they hold each week. Yes, the Indy is a loaded gun. But I am confident it is also one of the most unique opportunities a college student can immerse themselves into—a rapidly growing, inexorably relevant, and wholeheartedly legitimate weekly newspaper that allows students to
publish their voices to a listening crowd, and is genuinely a product of their individual work—not the outcome of a constitution written years ago by a distant staff member. The Independent’s benchmarks in just the past handful of years speak for themselves. From 12 issues in 2021 to 20 in 2023, a staff of 19 to one of 115, and a presence on campus more pertinent than ever, the Indy has risen to the opportunity to create a platform on campus for open, creative, and engaging conversation, all while curating a community along with it.
We might hold this loaded gun, but we also are learning how to use it, and it is especially important to learn how to recover from mistakes. My tenure as Editor-in-Chief has been far from perfect; part of managing a rapidly growing and complicated news cycle is the ability to adapt to new ideas while respecting and maintaining a sense of tradition. Yet to effectively continue to progress in terms of the quality and ingenuity of the words we write, we must constantly look to the past and preserve the values of our founding mission.
The Independent is the fruit of a paradigm shift towards more contentious discourse. We were established in 1969
to offer an alternative perspective to the mainstream—a narrative we continuously remind ourselves of, yet one exceedingly difficult to accurately execute. We might write with the intention of provoking thought, but publishing these words can often come with an unexpected negative response characteristic of a true counterpoint. To be consistent in our mission demands the ability to process feedback of all kinds, all while
continuing to commit to the excellence that our founders established nearly 55 years ago.
At the beginning of this year, I wrote in My First Editor’s Letter that I was committed to devoting my tenure as Editor-in-Chief to establishing
credibility in the publication. I was determined to have every article, “undergo a more thorough fact-checking process, more sets of eyes, more discourse, and generally a more representative resonance,” and I am so proud to say that we have suc- cessfully implemented that, or
minimally a version of it. But as Aristotle said, “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.” While there might be a foundational vehicle at your disposal, it’s time to grow.
I encourage you all (readers, staff writers, and critics alike) to start viewing your world as a pitch for an Indy article. When you encounter new people or ideas, do not just report or process these events as an objective daily news (or Crimson-esque) story. Ask yourself more than the stated facts. How did we get here? Who does this impact? Can we hear their perspective? What will this mean in a week’s time? In a year? Why does this matter? Why should we care?
To the Indy staff specifically, I encourage you to continue setting high standards and holding yourselves to them. Keep digging for deeper pitches, richer sources, and higher-quality prose. No article (or sentence) gets left behind. Keep arguing, being passionate, and voicing your opinion. The most important aspect of a loaded gun is that its holder knows when to fire.
To Mary Julia and Arsh, thank you for demonstrating how to lead with poise, assertiveness, and care. I hope I was able to come close to the legacy you left. To Noah, thank you for steering me in the right direction when I would get overwhelmed by detail. I am continuously amazed by your charisma and imagination, and I would not trade a single moment this year for a different outcome. To Piper, thank you for your unprecedented level of patience on Wednesday nights when articles would have extra spaces, commas, or an incorrectly angled apostrophe. We would be nowhere without you. And finally, thank you to Declan for bringing sports back. I can confidently say you made the Indy cool again.
To Eliza and Andrew, our new President and Editor-in-Chief, I cannot wait to see what this next year holds for you. You have a whole family of supporters cheering you on, and I trust you will continue to make the Independent something great.
Indylove, Marbs