This school year, The Nexus has published 248 articles. Through them, we’ve traversed Westview and beyond, exploring the highs, the lows, and the middle ground. We wrote about the effervescent community of our girls CIF-championship-winning soccer team. We wrote about district plans for theater improvements, solar panels, and a new building. We wrote about the petitions that our Amnesty International chapter fought for, the scrutiny on our library’s books, and students working towards a cleaner campus. We played our hand at covering the gubernatorial elections, looking at everything from gerrymandering to the PUSD Board of Education candidates. 

We questioned, listened, attempted, failed, succeeded, and grew—all things that should occur in high school. Through this experience, we’ve done more than find our own voices—we’ve had the opportunity to find and share others’.  And that’s what makes student journalism so special. 

Whether it be uncomfortable or inspiring, our goal is to seek the truth and accomplish objectivity in our reporting. That being said, no matter the topic, we carefully consider how our writing affects others. From verifying the accuracy of our quotes with interviewees, to analyzing our framing of sensitive subjects, we seek fairness. We cherish the humanity within our stories and approach each one with empathy, recognizing that the lives we write about are nuanced and multi-faceted.

We have never aimed to judge, admonish, or criticize without merit. Though we strive for perfection, The Nexus isn’t perfect. After all, we are a high-school class, albeit one we deeply care for. Beyond the occasional misspellings and typos, we do sometimes fail to honor certain perspectives. 

As journalists, as Americans, and as humans, we value the free and open exchange of ideas. With the broad range of topics we’ve written about and the even broader range of backgrounds and beliefs our audience harbors, it would be unusual, and frankly concerning, if we had universal agreement on each article we publish. We want to engage in discussions and understand viewpoints that are larger than ourselves. We want to be challenged and we want to hear your disagreements or critiques. Truly, we welcome letters to the editor with open arms. 

But dissents can co-exist with the values we know to be true as journalists. 

We know that this country was founded on the once-revolutionary ideal of freedom. That our very First Amendment protects freedom of press and speech, because the press should investigate, inform, reflect, and criticize. We want to ultimately spark essential conversations and help produce meaningful change. We aim to be the mouthpiece of no single individual or entity. 

Those ideals extend beyond the Constitution. Now, California Education Code 48907 states that “Students of the public schools… shall have the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press… except that expression shall be prohibited which is obscene, libelous, or slanderous.”

Despite legal press protections, the United States is ranked 42nd out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index. Those in positions of power have labeled the press as the enemy of the people. News is often characterized as fake news—not because it’s untrue, but because it’s disliked. 

This is not a political issue. Our democracy is compromised when freedom of press is. The truth uncovered can be uncomfortable, even intolerable, but we wish to speak without restraint, telling our stories freely and responsibly. 

Occasionally, we do face push-back on the content we publish. The controversy that arises from issues we speak out on can elicit questions on the editorial choices we have made. What we can promise though is that it has always been our mission to serve our community. 

We are incredibly grateful for the platform we have and the family we’ve found in Room L-104. We’re thankful for the ability to express ourselves and to tell your stories with the unconditional support and guidance Mr. Wenger has given us. 

Through objective, considerate, and truthful reporting, our role as journalists is to strengthen our community. We want to reach you through our writing, and likewise, we hope you can reach us too. So whether or not you agree with our words, we ask that you support our voice and our freedom to use this platform.