Letter from the Editor: On challenges and change

When I became Editor-in-Chief in May, I scrolled through the Exponent archives, which are held in the MSU library’s online database, and I found myself wondering whether the Exponent — or newspapers in general — still had a purpose in a digital era. I wondered what needed to change in order for the Exponent to better fulfill its mission and its obligation to the student body. In May, I knew the newspaper was at a turning point, and I believed then — as I still do — that it was time to rethink how we serve our campus community. 

Over the course of more than a century, the Exponent has weathered multiple challenges: name changes, leadership transitions and recurring questions about its purpose. As demonstrated in the archives, generations of students and faculty have debated what the newspaper should be and whom it should serve. Yet despite these challenges, this publication endures because of — what I believe is — the dedication of its staff.

Thus, shortly after taking over, my managing editor, Tatiana Means, and I began researching why some — if not most — students had stopped engaging with our content. Our primary findings indicated that the problem is not a lack of willingness to engage with campus news, but rather students are less and less interested in the method of delivery. Over time, I noticed that our stories became over-edited and formulaic. Worse, the Exponent — myself included — made mistakes that damaged our credibility and eroded trust with our readers. This happens in journalism, no matter how much we try to avoid it.  

When the first issue of the Exponent was published in May of 1895, it was not student-run. Instead, the publication was managed by the faculty from the Agricultural College of the State of Montana — which would later be renamed Montana State University — and was known as the College Exponent. It wasn’t until 1896 that the Exponent was placed in the hands of students.

Today, it is run by a team of 30 full-time students with other jobs and dreams and lives outside of this publication. 

In 1898, A.K. Yerkes, a prominent Montanan 19th century newspaper editor and former owner of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, wrote an editorial piece titled “Journalistic Hints” in the College Exponent. He wrote that journalism relies on hard work and patience, not luck or talent. Journalism, he wrote, “is a pathway that is rough and rocky to all who travel it.” 

Just shy of 130 years later, Yerkes' words hit home to me. My fear of making mistakes — and of the consequences that follow them — weigh heavily on my mind as we enter a new academic year. Yet if the history of the Exponent has taught me anything, it is that journalism has always required people willing to do difficult work despite that fear.

With this reality in mind and with our determination to navigate challenges, we have made changes to our production schedule, team organization and have expanded our content type to better reach our students. 

Our production schedule has been adjusted to avoid operating under unnecessarily tight deadlines that can lead to mistakes. We have created a reporting system to strengthen connections across campus and ensure more consistent coverage of the communities we serve.

We have also launched a new multimedia section, including a research-focused podcast and a concert series that brings local musicians into the Exponent office to share their work and stories. 

In my time at the Exponent, I have found myself increasingly aware of how bias impacts not just our reporting, but what content we put out in our opinion section. In an effort to make our newspaper’s opinion section reflect the diverse thinking of our community, we have changed the structure of that section. Therefore, we are asking for student submissions in the form of letters to the editor or editorial cartoons. We want to hear from you. 

These decisions were not made in haste. Instead, they aim to ensure that we continue to serve students in the ways they need while upholding the standards of journalism that have sustained this publication for more than a century.

I would like to thank so many people — namely, Dean of Students Matt Caires, our publications board and our board chair Dax Schieffer, Associated Students of MSU business managers Molly Lammers and Christine Dennis, our advisor Bill Lamberty and professor Doug Downs — for their support, advice and faith in Tatiana and I. 

I would also like to thank Tatiana Means for their dedication, honest feedback and steadfast support. To our staff, thank you for your encouragement and confidence. 

And to you, the student body, faculty and community members, thank you for your readership. 

The Exponent is so back. 

— Molly Houser, editor-in-chief