I am honored to be writing a letter to you all in this capacity once more, especially in my senior year. For those unfamiliar with the paper in their hands or are new to the Wheaton community, allow me to briefly introduce myself. I am a digital media and communications major with a double minor in English and journalism, a member of Emerson House, and I have been a part of The Wheaton Wire’s editorial team for the past three years.
We are a month into the semester, the add/drop period for classes has long passed, the trees are turning into gorgeous colors, and fall break is just over a week away. Yay! In the last issue of The Wire, the first of the semester, you heard from my fierce and brilliant co-editor-in-chief, Khushi Parikh ’26. I am delighted to be working alongside her and the other members of our staff as we shape our student-run newspaper to fit the needs of our ever-evolving social landscapes—both on and off campus. In the past, The Wire has received constructive criticism that our coverage has not included enough news from the world outside of our (in)famous bubble. While we will always prioritize what is relevant to our community, we will be striving to strike an efficient balance in the future.
A little over two weeks ago, Khushi and I decided that it was necessary to write a letter from the editor about empathy and advocacy. This choice was inspired by a culmination of events: this fall’s opening convocation ceremony, the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, recent protests in South Asia and the overall current state of affairs of this country and the world. We started discussing potential themes for this letter shortly after sending our previous one off for printing, threw around a few ideas that you may see in future issues, and ultimately left the decision to be made another day.
When our first issue was released on September 17, the talkshow Jimmy Kimmel Live! had its production suspended by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and its corporate parent, the Walt Disney Co. Over the summer, Paramount and CBS paid a $16 million settlement to end a legal dispute with President Donald Trump after he pursued a lawsuit for standard practice editing done during a 60 Minute Interview with Kamala Harris in 2024. This past February, the Associated Press and its journalists were restricted from The White House press pool after the news group announced it would continue using the term “The Gulf of Mexico” in their publications to accommodate their international audiences.
What else could two students— who are currently running a college newspaper—choose to talk about at this point other than how crucial it is to contemplate the gradually eroding freedom of expression? Society is experiencing an extreme partisan split, reflected by the currently polarized press. Confirmation bias has overridden media literacy, and legacy media corporations are trading journalistic practices for profit. Citizen journalism is on the rise with no promised adherence to a standard code of ethical values, leaving readers unsure where to turn for a reliable source.
The Wire will continue to be that dependable news source for our Wheaton community. I’ve always used two descriptors for this paper: student-run and independent. The purpose of journalism is to provide its readers with information, opinions, art, and other pieces of content in order to inspire critical thinking and encourage people to shape informed opinions. I hope you enjoy this issue of The Wire, and that at least some of the content resonates with you for a little while after this paper has been folded and placed away.
On another note entirely, the software used to create this paper’s layout mysteriously refused to let us designers type the letter ‘e’ into the document. Please excuse any absences of one that was lost.
Signing off,
Moira Sankey ’26
Khushi Parikh ’26