College journalists in western Massachusetts are struggling with reporting during Trump’s second term

Many people are still processing former President Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in last week’s election. This also applies to students studying journalism.

Reporters faced a lot of criticism during the last Trump administration. Trump has done that repeatedly threatened journalists and the media for spreading ‘fake news’.

These claims were made during his 2016 campaign, his first term, and recently at a rally in Pennsylvania shortly before Election Day.

Trump insinuated he wouldn’t mind if a journalist was shot when he talked about another possible assassination attempt.

“To get me, someone would have to go through the fake news and I don’t mind that,” Trump said. “I don’t care.”

John Depin, editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian, UMass Amherst’s student-run newspaper, said it was difficult for him to process the news that Trump won the day after the 2024 election.

“I called my mom and said, ‘I don’t know. I don’t think I can do this. I don’t think I can do journalism anymore. I just don’t want to be vilified and hated for telling the truth,” Depin said.

Depin said his mother tried to encourage him to stay in the industry. He decided he would keep writing and stay vigilant.

“I hope that when people see that consistency, they realize that nothing has changed between governments and we are just continuing to do our job,” Depin said. “But as soon as you bring up Trump… it’s crazy how he makes people believe him through the vast majority of news networks. And so I hope that people see the consistency in our reporting and our ability to report on these issues.”

These issues include what the university — and its students — are doing in response to certain Trump policies, said Daniel Frank, the news editor at the Collegian.

“The student government has passed a resolution reaffirming their commitment to DEI in light of Trump’s statements that he will strongly discourage its use and tie federal funding to the lack of a DEI program,” Frank said.

DEI are diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which are policies that aim to provide equal opportunities to students, faculty, and staff. Trumps “Agenda 47The plan he outlined during his campaign includes eliminating DEI initiatives as one of his key changes to higher education.

“I think as these things start to happen at UMass and at public universities and in the communities around UMass, this is something that we just had to discuss, because there isn’t a lot of media in the area, and hopefully we can fill that gap” , said Frank.

While describing the impact, Depin said reporters need to understand the perspective of Trump voters. He sees that as his job as a journalist, even though he personally disagrees with their views.

“It’s important to recognize where these people who live in this community come from and maybe not amplify their voices, but at least hear them and at least include them and at least take them into account when writing pieces,” Depin said. .

In nearby South Hadley at Mount Holyoke College, Tara Monastesse is editor-in-chief of The Mount Holyoke News, the independent student newspaper.

Monastesse is also grappling with the challenges of reporting during Trump’s presidency. She said the last time he was in power, she was in high school and just becoming interested in journalism.

During Trump’s second term, Monastesse said she believes it is important to continue providing quality reporting on her college campus.

“What do international students think about the potential impact of a new Trump administration? How do women feel? How do Latino students feel?’ she said. “I think the reporting will be a lot better if you focus on how the potential consequences of this administration will affect the people closest to you and your readers.”

These student journalists say they’re just continuing the work they’ve always done. But now they are convinced it will have an even greater impact on their community, the public and democracy than ever before.