Issue 2: Attack on Fort Sumter

Around the second issue of the newspaper, there always seems to be this humbling sense of--well, devastation. There's that moment where everyone seems to lose their head and be unsure of what to do next. Everyone feels surrounded. The writers feel like they are caught in a web of stories they were unprepared for and the editors feel as though their pages will stay blank forever. This is why it's always best to have a lookout.

As for my humbly devastating moment, I found myself staring down a single, massive white space. My stories had no photos, as they were not very photo-worthy (after all, how do you capture enrollment, cheating and a debate team tournament on a camera?). This is why this week, my humblest, most devastating thanks go to our co-photo editor, Filip. Journalists are good at finding news, but photographers are good at seeing news.

On Wednesday afternoon, I sent my quickest writer on the scene to cover anti-abortion demonstrators and a crowd of students, with myself and Miyu, our managing editor, tumbling after. As usual, there was a beligerent mob of students who disagreed, shouting obscenities as they passed, with the organizers of this display handing our fliers which people dumped on the floor. While I believe in freedom of speech, the displays were entirely gruesome and over-the-top. Blood-soaked fetuses are not images most people want force-fed to them. Obviously, some people could relate to this feeling of disgust a little too much.

While I kept my eye out for students not blinded by the signage to be interviewed, I saw one spiky-haired gentleman march up to the sign and shout "What the...(I'll leave this up to the imagination)!" right in the face of one of the demonstrators. There was nothing but what sounded like roaring coming from him for a few seconds until he stormed off through the crowd. He's just lucky these people weren't like most who have visted EC in the past.

Let's not forget the infamous Paul Mitchell who came to campus proclaiming women in politics were doomed to burn in hell. While pictures of aborted fetuses are not exactly calm images with no intent on drawing attention, and despite the quiver in my stomach from the overdone gore and propaganda (enough to dizzy even me, the biggest fan of horror flicks on this side on the country), students should be glad these demonstrators weren't riding onto campus on the idealogy of enternal damnation. Ok, so perhaps they were underhandedly, but at least it wasn't the star of the show.

In short, lookouts will keep breaking news from slipping away and serve as a great defense, not to mention a stellar showing of journalism, in the face of an empty page and an eager campus. And breaking news is the biggest source of adrenaline rushes you will ever face. It may not be the most pleasent thing you want to see, but the story behind it certainly is worth the time and effort. If I haven't made it clear enough--I did not enjoy the displays, but watching the story unfold and all the random incidents I would have missed had Filip not been out to see it was certainly a blast to be a part of.