Dear Reader,
Anika Loganathan | Mustang News
Happy October! We are excited to welcome you, or welcome you back, to Mustang News and KCPR in print. Much of our newsroom is descending into the ‘Rory Gilmore journalist’ aesthetic, Archana included, paired with a ‘people-pleaser pumpkin spice latte’ from Linnaea’s Cafe this month. We are still steadfast in compiling content by students, for students to be heard.
Based on metrics and some bias, we see Mustang Media Group as one of the most influential organizations on campus. One of our core roles as a media organization is to use our influence to seek the truth and report it. And the truth is, a lot of people get overlooked.
We’ve all been there: that moment in a conversation when you can tell the other person does not care about what you’re saying. Maybe they are having a bad day with a lot on their mind. Maybe there is someone cute on the other side of the room. Or maybe there are some undertones of disrespect that you feel deep in the pit of your stomach.
In college media, change naturally happens every year as a new group of editors and staff take on new roles. Some policies and goals remain traditional, but others sometimes change overnight. Mustang Media Group is seeing a lot of evolution this year.
Our voices as student journalists are more important than ever. Nowadays, it feels like the only certainty is to expect uncertainty. We are striving to evolve to acknowledge and work past these undertones that make so many of us feel overlooked.
A major change coming to Mustang Media Group is Mustang News endorsements. Mustang News’ Editorial Board will begin to announce public endorsements of relevant public decisions. Along with our Opinion editor, Landon Block, we structured an endorsement policy that maintains our independent voices, while uplifting our own.
Read more about our endorsement policy and join us as we continue shaping conversations that matter to students on our campus and in our community.
Like listening to your news instead? Tune into our Letter from the Editor’s podcast where we discuss last month’s recap, and this month’s goals!
In this issue
Throughout this issue, we are tackling issues that could affect all students. In California, a redistricting election will decide the future of congressional district maps through 2030 in response to Texas’ partisan redistricting earlier this year. In San Luis Obispo, presidential tariff orders have impacted local businesses and product circulation.
At Cal Poly, student experiences vary. The Cal Poly Turning Point USA chapter is restructuring their club following the death of Charlie Kirk. We have new peers at the Cal Poly Maritime Academy merging with the San Luis Obispo campus’s administration.
As the quarter is getting going, AI policies have surely been mentioned in syllabuses across departments and majors. Current fourth years are the first class who could experiment with ChatGPT in their dorm rooms.
We are dedicated to explaining unique student experiences through journalistic practices. A mission this year is to have more of your stories featured throughout our printed and digital pages. If you are willing to share, we are willing to listen.
We also want to reiterate as many times as possible that we want to hear from you. To submit a Letter to the Editor, email editorial@mustangmediagroup.com. Please make the subject line [Letter to Editor, Topic — First name/Last name]. We require all letters to the editor to be signed with a name.
Sincerely,
Archana Pisupati, Editor-in-Chief
Jeremy Garza, Managing Editor
For more stories from the October print edition check out the featured print section on our website.