I’ve heard it all over my three years of being on The Tiger. I’ve been told that nobody reads our newspapers. I’ve been told people who write are losers. And I’ve been told that my career path is already doomed. But from my perspective, student journalism has to prevail — and it needs support to do so. 

Student journalism’s impact was felt on a national level last week when the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, covered an on-campus shooting that ended with a professor being killed. 

From a minute-by-minute timeline to in-depth student interviews to evocative photos, The Daily Tar Heel’s coverage was the embodiment of journalism. That organization, along with the many other examples across the country, demonstrates why student journalism must exist. 

Many student papers, including The Tiger, are the only outlets that cover the area on a daily basis, and as more and more professional news outlets consolidate or shut down, the need for student journalism grows. 

Clemson is already a news desert. There are no professional newspapers that have Clemson as their primary coverage area. That is why the local community needs The Tiger. 

But beyond the impact student journalism has on communities, it also serves as a foundation for journalism as a whole. 

Although I was stuck in my home state of Maryland at the start of my freshman year, reading my first story in The Tiger was a moment I’ll never forget. Sitting on an old, worn-out couch in my grandmother’s beach house, I felt pure pride and joy — an excitement that convinced me to pursue sports journalism as a career. 

My first story was not the best. In fact, when I read my old articles, I often cringe at how much better I would write them now. But then comes a moment of reflection — a realization that my growth as a writer and storyteller is exactly why student journalism exists. 

Without newspapers like The Tiger, students like myself have no outlet to develop into consistent, reliable and well-rounded reporters. After all, we are the future of the media, and without student journalism, that future is concerning. 

So when I hear of schools like Penn State cutting the funding for their student newspaper, I feel for the students who won’t have the resources to accomplish their goals.

Especially with no journalism school at Clemson, our resources are limited. More often than not, we have resolved these issues, and sometimes, the University does go out of its way to help us. 

The Tiger has been publishing at Clemson since 1907, and I don’t think it will stop anytime soon. But in today’s age, nothing is certain. 

So, if you want to stay informed about on-campus news, student life and anything else you can think of, support student journalism.