As the school year comes to a comfortable start, The Pearl Post staff members for the 2018-2019 cycle bring hope of a higher quality paper.

With the year ahead of us, our newest editors show potential to create new page layouts and have a more creative approach to solving issues that have constantly arisen in previous years. One of these issues was a lack of communication between staff writers and editors. In turn, this created a hostile environment as staff members felt lost and confused on assignments. However, our current editorial board is filled with individuals who are willing to go above and beyond to ensure deadlines are met and that staff writers are in a friendly environment.

As the print publication moves more toward a magazine design rather than a traditional newspaper, it has become a crucial aspect for us to make sure we publish our best work. In order to do this, we plan on placing an emphasis on story pitches, copy editing and early deadlines.

We have also established an improved system to make sure all staff writers will gain multiple skills. By the end of the year all staff members will have experience in video recording, editing, writing and photography. All of these are necessary tools in today’s constantly changing media world. Our publication will also continue to submit content to PBS NewsHour’s Student Reporting Labs. These videos will be managed by our two New Media Editors.

And as the distrust in media grows in today’s political climate, it’s even more important for student journalists like us to come together and fulfill our common goal of reporting the truth. Our newsroom, in particular, values laws such as the California Ed Code 48907 that helps protect our First Amendment right. With every story, issue and post online, we employ our right to be objective student journalists.

We also encourage the student body to give us feedback on our work as the year progresses. With this, we’ll be able to create a more sophisticated publication. Ideas, suggestions and other thoughts regarding the paper can be submitted via our social media or email.