Words have a way of finding you when you most need them.
“The only way to tell this story is to try to tell it truthfully and to know that you will fail.” The New Yorker’s David Remnick wrote that sentence shortly after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, and the words have rattled around my head since.
A student paper holds a special place in the ecosystem of a campus: Its staffers must write about their classmates, neighbors and professors. Unpaid, relatively inexperienced undergraduates are expected (and obligated) to write about any number of intricate topics with an expertise and poise that even veteran journalists often fail to muster.
We tackle that challenge with pride.
And there’s been a lot for us to tackle: Officials picked a new moniker and decided to arm GW Police Department officers; University President Ellen Granberg succeeded interim President Mark Wrighton this summer; medical residents and fellows, textile museum workers, and GW Hospital nurses all voted to unionize this year; and an escaped murder suspect brought Foggy Bottom to a standstill and raised concerns about GW’s emergency protocols.
Most importantly, The Hatchet has published more than three dozen news articles, videos and opinions pieces about the Israel-Hamas war and its reverberations on campus. Engagement with The Hatchet has understandably skyrocketed in the past two months — we’ve received more feedback, comments, op-ed submissions and letters to the editor than I can remember in my three years on staff.
While our work has been far from flawless, our approach to every story this year has followed Remnick’s sage advice: We’ve tried to tell the stories truthfully.
We couldn’t do our work without the support of the students, alumni and faculty who read our articles. Thank you.
I hope you’ll consider making a tax-deductible donation to The Hatchet — as a financially independent newspaper, we rely on donations and advertising to operate.
And keep in touch: Email us your opinions pitches, story tips, or just general feedback. An active reader base helps make our work better.
On behalf of everyone here at The Hatchet, thank you for reading this year. We’ll see you in 2024.
