I don’t know how to start this. Working here has given me more purpose than anything else I have ever done at this school. But everyone who’s had the chance to work in house knows that. So, I’ll say this instead. 

This job is hard. So hard. It takes an insane amount of time and energy to produce the best student-run independent newspaper in the country. And it takes really thick skin. 

The goal of this newspaper is to do good journalism. Good journalism takes a lot of work. It means sending a lot of emails and making a lot of phone calls. Talking to a lot of people. Digging through databases to find the numbers you need. Hunting down court records. Searching through filing cabinets. Verifying every fact you put in a story so thoroughly that everything you write is impenetrable. 

It means victory when the story turns out good, when you tell someone’s story well, when you shine light on darkness. But it also means some headaches. You are going to get angry emails, angry phone calls and threats. It comes with the territory, and it means you’re doing your job well. Don’t be intimidated by it. Don’t give in. Hold your ground, and share what you know. It’s your job to get to the truth, however ugly, unflattering or unnerving it might be. 

Do it. 

Here’s some words: 

Aishwarya: I was a shy, nervous columnist. You gave me the confidence to write with conviction. 

Allison: I can’t say I miss the nights on that crumbling porch when I couldn’t feel my fingers. But I miss that team. Op is its own beast, and there’s few people I would rather have taken it on with. Sorry I didn’t get the chance to teach you more knots. 

Sam: I wouldn’t know how to find records if it weren’t for you. You’re a fierce reporter, and you always have the receipts. Thanks for showing me how to find them too. 

Talia: The visuals couch was a second home when I got tired of that stupid porch. I miss the late night conversations, and I miss watching you design. I’m expecting great things. 

Leffert: I honestly never felt like I belonged in house until my semester as Op editor. You made me feel welcome, and you pushed me to be bold. Boost the ‘Cuse didn’t know what was coming. Thanks for the encouragement. 

Haley: You’re such a calming force. When news was breaking and it seemed like the universe was unraveling, I knew I could look to you for direction. 

Brittany: We were a true squad. I’m so appreciative of your ideas and your desire to think outside the box and change things. 

Crane: You’re quiet, but you have so much to say. You’re a no-nonsense reporter, and I know you’re going to go far. 

Roshan: Sports isn’t an easy section to run, but I figured you wouldn’t have too many problems. You know how to tell a story, and you’re just great to talk to. 

Anthony: I’ve been impressed with your reporting since you became an editor. Keep digging. I know you have more big stories to break. 

Skyler: I know I didn’t get to know you that well. But you have the drive and skills few journalists our age have. 

Kailey: I’ve worked with few editors who have overcome as much as you have this semester. I know the position was a learning curve and a lot of hard work, but I’m so happy to see that it was worth it for you. 

Richard Chang: I always had a feeling you’d be coming back for more. You have the curiosity and the drive to manage the news section expertly, and I know you will. I’m looking forward to some investigations and long-term stories. I’m always just a Slack away. 

Richard Perrins: You’re one of the most impressive copy editors I’ve worked with. You manage an intense workload with such ease. You have such a future in news. 

Abby: I could always count on you to crack a joke at the right time. Your digital skills are impressive, and the paper’s digital staff is lucky to have you at the helm. 

Marnie: You’re just a rockstar reporter. You’re so detailed, and you write with such a command for language. Your stories are always original, and so many of them highlight the experiences of folks we rarely read about. 

Ashley: Your time here may have been short, but you definitely left a legacy for thorough copy editing. The entire news staff noticed how detail-oriented you are, and I know that attention to detail will take you far in this industry. 

Mira: You became part of the team so quickly. You’re a reliable, confident reporter and editor, and your presence in the newsroom made all the long days and late nights tolerable. And you always knew when to ask if we could get Dominos or Panera. I’m sure you’ll do great with fundraising, and I’m sure your Whitman vibes will take you far. 

KJ: The D.O. just seems wrong without your massive presence. I truly live for the Slack DMs, the late-night laugh attacks, your obscure takes on media people who write about media. Your reporting skills are top notch, and you really pour yourselves into your projects. I didn’t think we’d serve as head eds together again, or again at all, after our first tenure, but I’m glad we did. Cue the Zoey 101 theme song. Golf. 

Gabe: I wish I had gotten to know you and work with you sooner. You’ve always stood out to me as one of The D.O.’s strongest reporters. Even when your copy isn’t so clean, your reporting is flawless. I’ve met few people who care so much about records and FOIA as much as you do, and it’s nerdy in the best possible way. I seriously doubt that many people on staff would have agreed to sort through 3,000 pages of court documents with me. I’m grateful for that. And I’m grateful for Reginald, who owes you for inspiring his badass name. I’ll miss the 4 a.m. Slack sessions, but I know you’ll stay in touch. Do great things. I don’t think it’ll be too hard for you. 

Emma: I seriously don’t know how you do it. There is not a single person at this institution who handles the stress, the blowback, the day-to-day sh*t with the grace you do. You always seem so put together even when everything is falling apart. You’re so calm, but you’re so tough. You’ve taken on such ambitious stories, and you have definitely dealt with your fair share of irate phone calls about them. You have such good news judgement, and you’re such a strong editor. You’re also just great to talk to. I will genuinely miss our discussions in mgmt. It was such an eclectic mix of serious discussion, jokes, and shared disbelief at some of the total stupidity we’ve uncovered. I am eagerly awaiting some Emma Folts investigations that will change things for the better. 

Casey: I have a lot to say. To start, thank you for the tiny-headed stuffed stress relief. They helped me make it through many nights I’d like to forget. I know that it took us a while being in house together to actually talk in any sort of meaningful way, and I regret that. You’re just fun to talk to, and your inhuman laugh inspires me. It’s always cool to like someone as a person, but it’s even cooler when you like them as a boss too. And I did. It’s awesome to know that you have an editor who’s always in your corner, and I knew you were. I like to think that a lot of people who work here have thick skin, that we can all take a lot of heat before we start to melt. But you stand out. You’re not afraid to tell people exactly what you’re thinking. It’s what we need as editors and reporters. And it’s exactly what we need when we’re up against controversy and anger. You ran a hell of a paper, and you should never doubt that. Catch you in the New Jersey. 

Sarah: I honestly forget how much we’ve been through in the past three semesters. It’s a metric sh*t ton of news, and you handled it so well. It doesn’t feel like that long ago we were leaving our mud-covered shoes at the door, and it hasn’t been that long, I guess. But since then, you’ve written more than 200 stories. And you’ve written some really good ones. You have a real talent for finding sources and telling compelling stories, and you’ve grown so much as an editor. You spent so much time laboring over edits and working alongside writers. I’m psyched to see the work you do. 

Chis: Whenever I got a Slack warning me about how bad the story you just filed was, I knew it was going to be an absolute home run. Among a house of pretty elite writers and reporters, you seriously rise above most of them. Your reporting is so thorough and fair, and your voice comes through so much. I literally don’t have to make edits on your stories because the copy comes in so clean. I admire the f*ck out of you. Stop doubting yourself. There’s never reason to. 

Maggie: You’re a brilliant reporter. Writing stories about the city, about the nuances and complexities that make understanding and communicating its history so hard, is not an easy task. And yet you do it again and again and again. You have, hands down, written some of the most intense and important stories we’ve published. I know it hasn’t always been easy, but I hope you can look back on all the work you’ve done and feel proud about it. You should. You’re so funny, so reliable, and so essential to my time here. It’s honestly unfathomable to me that there was ever a semester I worked here when you didn’t. I can be shy and quiet a lot of the time, so here’s me telling you as loud as I can that I’m so grateful I got to know you and experience your work. It’s made me a better reporter, a better editor, a better friend, and a better appreciator of stuffed animals. See you in backpacking. 

Pat: I don’t know why you let me rant about records and documents and freedom of information sh*t so much. But you do. And I’m grateful for that. It’s fun for me. And I guess it’s my way of getting back at you for all the fish content you spam me with. 

Matt: I really don’t need to tell you how much you mean to me. But I’m going to anyway. This job is undoubtedly the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And I seriously doubt whether I would have been able to manage it without you. I’m sure you don’t realize it, but every Tweet, TikTok, Skylar video and Gordon Ramsay meme you sent gave me the strength to make it through whatever f*ckery was happening here. When I’m stressed and sleep deprived, you make me laugh, even if it’s just for a few minutes in a night packed with misery. I know I don’t talk with you about my work that much, but you’ve endured enough of my rants to know how much it matters to me. So I figured it’s only fitting that you know how much you matter to me. A lot. 

Mom and Dad: Thanks for everything. For liking my texts about stories we posted at 12:30 a.m. For sending me your reactions to the latest news. For asking about what the next big story is. And thanks for giving me the space to be a skeptical, cynical guy. I know the questions were a lot, especially when they had to do with Santa’s existence or god. But I guess that was the start of something pretty cool. Thanks for reading to me. Thanks for letting me stay up to watch the news. Thanks for embracing me.

Published on May 13, 2021 at 4:49 am

Contact Michael: msessa@syr.edu | @MichaelSessa3