You have been the editor of what is essentially the paper of record for Dartmouth. Does it ever surprise you that a bunch of student journalists have so much responsibility?
Now that I’ve held the position, I’ve realized how incredible it is that we are an organization of students teaching students, that we are 100-percent independent from the College, that I am the final say on everything, and that I’m 21 years old. It is an immense amount of responsibility.
You were arrested in May 2024 while covering a pro-Palestinian encampment on the Green. Can you tell me a little bit about that night and what you learned from your experience?
I’m still kind of coming to terms with what that event meant for me. It reaffirmed my belief in the power and importance of a free press. It reaffirmed my desire to be a journalist. I saw anew the importance of the work I was doing. Press freedom isn’t something that we can take for granted, even in America.
At a time when print journalism is in historic decline, you have brought back The D’s print magazine, The Mirror. Why?
I think a lot of young people are exhausted by social media and the internet. We’ve been the beta generation for social media and the information economy. And I think that a lot of Gen Zers are sort of resentful of that and are becoming less and less interested in taking part. I think that social media isn’t cool in the way that it used to be.
Do you have any social media accounts?
I deleted social media when I was 17 for a variety of reasons that were political and personal, mostly because I felt it removed me from my life. I couldn’t do anything without thinking of how I might later reproduce it online for a group of 1,500 people I didn’t know. I do have a LinkedIn, as I am trying to get a job.
What are you thinking about for after graduation?
I’d love to be a local reporter somewhere. I’m a much better writer than I am an editor. As long as I get to be a reporter somewhere, I’ll be happy.
