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Dear readers,
As many of you have likely noticed, this has been a bit of a transitional year for our beloved Pilot. In just a few short months, we’ve altered our format from a biweekly newspaper to a website to a newsletter. And now we’re finally introducing the Pilot as a magazine. In short, we’ve been through a lot this year.
As representatives of a student-run publication, we have learned to embrace change and ambiguity. We’ve learned that being in flux isn’t always a bad thing; new people join the Pilot staff every quarter, and each one invariably contributes something unique and valuable to the ever-evolving Pilot identity.
Earlier this quarter, we met with our faculty advisor to discuss the future of the Pilot. In the course of the meeting, the suggestion came up that the Pilot ought to develop a mission statement. That way, the community would have a better understanding of what we do, and, in turn, our staff would have a clearer sense of direction and purpose.
The following is a brief summary of the ideas we are considering while building our mission statement:
The Pilot is intended to examine and accurately reflect trends of thought on campus. We will not shy away from issues that directly affect the student body and the campus at large, but we strive to report news and opinions in a way that promotes healing and growth. We see the Pilot as a publication built on love for The Principia and our community. From that basis, we hope to promote positive and consistent communication between our magazine staff and others on this campus.
These ideals relate to the current Student Media Guidelines and Standards, in which Principia journalists are called on to “commit to balanced, fair, and accurate journalism” and “seek intelligent, articulate views from all perspectives.”
Because we are full-time students and not professional writers, designers and photographers, we sincerely request your patience and support. With that in mind, please regard any request to interview with the Pilot as an opportunity to educate an eager listener about an important issue or event about which we may know very little. And if you do feel that we’ve gotten something wrong, we encourage you to contact the Pilot editorial board with all questions and/or concerns.
No matter what the Pilot looks like next month, next semester or years down the road, we are confident that the Pilot’s commitment to honesty, clarity and love for this community will never change.
We are very grateful for your support.
Sincerely,
Warren Curkendall and Maija Baldauf