The Globe’s Point: Explaining Our Shift In Coverage

Readers of The Globe, 

Well, perhaps let’s address who you are first. While this newspaper is entirely run and produced by students for students, we at The Globe have become aware over the years that students and alumni do not make up the majority of our audience. 

It is parents, faculty, and staff, for the most part, who are taking an interest in what we have to say through our platform. And we are grateful for them and anyone who is looking at how we are engaging in real-life storytelling through our writing, photography, and designs. 

Regardless of who you are, if you have been reading this newspaper long enough, you have probably noticed it has shifted over the years. Sometimes the changes have been dramatic, say when an Editor-In-Chief decided to make The Globe a tabloid several years back. But others have been smaller. And a recent change has been our coverage. 

In the last semester or so, we have been casting a wider net. Our Editor-In-Chief interviewed Mayor Bill Peduto for a story a few weeks ago. Our news editors have been tackling national and regional Pittsburgh issues. Our sports columnists are covering the gambit of Point Park and national sports developments. 

As a staff, we feel it is incumbent upon us to explain why this has happened. 

Truthfully, we didn’t even notice it at first. Oftentimes, we get so swept up in finding ideas for articles that we can lose sight of why we have zeroed in on said ideas for our readers. 

One of the reasons is based on practicality. The coronavirus pandemic has proved to be extremely challenging for almost every industry, including journalism. It has made us reconsider how we conduct interviews and engage with our subject matter. Sporting events at Point Park can be subject to cancellation at a moment’s notice under the current regulations, and on-campus events are largely a thing of the past in this environment. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to reach students and to tell their stories, if there are any non-pandemic stories to tell. 

However, our evolving content is reflective of who we are as writers and what we think is important for our readers to see. Many of our staff are majoring in journalism or similar media fields, and the work they produce for The Globe is demonstrating the level of storytelling expected from their classes. Our teachers push us to think outside Point Park in our coverage, so, naturally, we have begun to think outside of Point Park, even for The Globe. 

We also believe that while The Globe serves as the only hyper-focused print outlet for Point Park, it can be more. Readers want to read how Point Park students and faculty are reacting to current events happening at the national level. They want to know what is relevant in Pittsburgh. They want to read our takes on the hottest new releases from the music and film industries. And so, Pioneers, that is what we have been endeavoring to provide. 

We know, partly through thoughtful recognition, that this shift has been the right move. Our work has been cited in Insider, and our student journalists have recently received awards for our coverage of the Rosfeld trial. 

We will always strive to tell the stories of Point Park’s community, but our horizons are growing. And we think that is a good thing.