Most important post (to me at least) I've done in a long time

As an editor for UK's independent student run paper, I find myself extremely short on personal time this semester. But I like it. I feel like I'm contributing to something bigger than myself, something worth while. The paper has won the Pacemaker Award for excellence in college newspapers multiple times in the past few years and I look to become a part of the tradition. However the changing landscape of journalism is beginning to show me that blogs are beginning to gain immense amounts of power due to their ability to unleash information directly to the reader without censorship. This is a great ability, however it comes with its disadvantages, particularly the fact that no one is verifying whether or not the information they contain is true. It is this lone fact that leads me to hope there will always be a place for the written word; a place for journalists to maintain their positions as "Guardians of Truth" and deliver information without bias. I realize that party divisions have led multiple outlets to lean one way or another, but this isn't necessarily terrible so long as the two keep one another in check. The most important thing is that when it comes down to raw information, speed is nice, but accuracy is essential.

The Kernel may not be the New York Times, but these are the qualities we hope to embrace. Being a part of a college daily paper has been a trying experience, but I feel it is starting to show me the true meaning of journalism. I'm learning what is newsworthy, what readers want to know, and what makes a paper function on a daily basis.

Newspapers aren't dying, they're merely changing. Embracing multimedia is essential at this day in age. Video, slideshows, pictures, audio. They all are just as important as the story itself. Online should supplement news, not replace it. That is exactly what the Kentucky Kernel looks to do. We strive to have multimedia for at least one story per day, if not more. We look to share as much information as possible in an effort to compete with the local paper. And we do. The Kernel recieves advertising daily, and we are lucky enough to have people compete for space in our paper. Averaging in at 8 pages a day, we are a force to be reckoned with on campus, a fact that people have personally acknowledged and thanked me for. The Kernel played a key role in keeping the library open 24 hours a day, when it wanted to close at midnight every night. The Kernel played an enormous role in encouraging UK to lessen its carbon footprint. The Kernel called out President Lee Todd when he asked teachers to be team players and live with their bonuses when the school was under the pressure of enormous budget cuts, and he turned around and accepted his $500,000 bonus. No task is too big to take on for this publication, and that is something I am proud of.

I'm involved with the entertainment side of the Kernel, not that I don't contribute ideas to news (I in fact gave them the idea to run a story about UK citing mopeds who park on campus, which is now giving the UK security a lot of pressure due to the response the article recieved) but my heart lies in writing about the arts. As the Assistant Features Editor, training to be Features Editor this winter, we have organized interviews with multiple national personalities. Via twitter, I got one of our writers an interview with Tucker Maxx. I have personally interviewed Zoey Deschanel, Vampire Weekend, All Time Low, the founder of the MTV Woody awards and many more. These are all experiences that have been completely mind blowing for me. I am doing what I set out to do (albeit not exactly at the caliber I'd like but I'm trying).

My internship with CityBeat taught me so many things I didn't know, but my thirst for knowledge on the topic is insatiable. I have been offered an internship for NBC this summer in New York City, and I think I'll take it, unless I get the coveted internship at the place I set out to work for in the first place: Rolling Stone Magazine. My inspiration, Cameron Crowe, began his career there and what better place to start than at the premier music magazine in the country (No I wasn't inspired by Almost Famous. I did love the movie though). People can spew their displeasure at its tendency to mainstream, but I could care less. I like what the magazine has stood for, and I hope I always will.

I'm sure most of you have given up on this extensive post by now, but you haven't, thank you for giving a shit. This means a lot to me. I didn't know what I wanted to do until months before heading to college, but once it hit me, there was no turning back. I want to be a music journalist, and I'm proud of the strides I've taken so far. The support of the people around me has meant a lot, and its something I wont soon forget. There are others that I wish would be more supportive, but I'm not giving up on trying to change their minds. Sure I'd like to hear more from some of the closest people to me, and maybe soon enough I will. Hopefully my writing will win them over. Some discourage me because of the money, but it isn't about that. My response has always been the same "I'd rather make $50,000 doing something I love than make $500,000 doing something I hate." I'd be lucky to make $50,000, but that isn't the point. This is my passion, and if it means living in a box, so be it. All I need is my pen and my paper.


For those interested go to The Kentucky Kernel Website

Some of my work so far this semester:

One regarding the re-opening of a bar in Lexington

A review of a good Cincinnati-based band called Elmwood

One covering the "Bak 2 Skool Bash"

A review of Skillet's Awake