After a recent trip with The Flor-Ala staff to The Anniston Star newspaper, I was reminded of why I am a student of journalism when I read a quote from Harry Ayers, former publisher of The Star.

“It is the duty of a newspaper to become the attorney for the most defenseless among its subscribers,” he said.

It’s difficult for us being student reporters, and to find a balance between reporting the truth and not aggravating our peers, instructors and administrators who work at or attend the institution we’re still members of.

But reporting the news is our job, and we won’t apologize for doing it properly, even if it ruffles a few feathers. That’s The Flor-Ala’s mission this year, and we won’t hesitate to act as advocates for our most valued readers-UNA students.

Flor-Ala staff members have to be mindful of their actions and what they do on a weekly basis.

We can’t hide behind a façade each week as we report the news, but we’re OK with that. Instead, we want to build an open and honest relationship with our readers.

Throughout my journey from being a writer to news editor to executive editor, I have seen the paper undergo a massive transformation. Under two previous executive editors, I’ve watched The Flor-Ala reach very high and low points in a short period of time.

Needless to say, I love journalism. Very few things give me more joy and satisfaction than reporting the news and informing the public. Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with a super talented, eager staff this year that shares the same philosophy.

The new staff is most concerned about printing quality, unbiased stories that both campus and local communities find interesting and relevant. Our objective this year is to continue presenting truthful, tasteful and timely stories, videos, photos, social media and web updates to readers every week.

We want to be transparent to the public and held accountable for what we publish. We’re human beings, and we are going to make mistakes, so let us know when there are errors in the paper or if you have a complaint about something in general.

Stick with The Flor-Ala this year for more localized coverage of the UNA campus. Expect to see us at meetings and events that directly impact students at this university.

Our mission is to provide a voice to students who either can’t or won’t speak out on issues that affect them most.

Lucy Berry can be reached at 256-765-4364 or [email protected].