Staff Editorial: Farewell, 2020

This year was hard for student journalists. Amid a global pandemic, civil unrest and a shift to virtual learning, those of us at The CT balanced several responsibilities.

We applied objectivity to divisive subjects to bring you the facts on what’s happening in your community. We sometimes broke away from old rules and standards to better serve the truth. We considered the eye of the reader in the design of our weekly print newspaper, but we also poured hours into digitizing our work; using social media and our website to provide for our growing audience.

We covered how Richmond’s growing arts community and the sports world changed — and stayed the same — during the age of social distancing. In our opinions section, our writers voiced their thoughts on news and pressing social issues. Alongside all this, we photographed historic moments and illustrated broad concepts and new characters. Every part of our team worked to complete the larger story we told throughout the year.

We also took care of our families. The risks of COVID-19 isolated us all in some ways, separating us from our little brothers and sisters, parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. But in many ways, it brought us closer to those we love. And most importantly, although often an afterthought, we strived to take care of ourselves at the end of the day. 

The stressors of being a student journalist are plentiful, but there is always one factor that keeps us going.

You.

To our readers, we’d like to extend our warmest thanks. Thank you for your support, your time and your feedback. Whether you crack open our on-campus kiosks every Wednesday or simply visit our website when you see us on your timelines, thank you. We can’t express enough how important your role is in keeping this paper alive.

This is our last print issue of 2020 due to the early closure of VCU’s campuses. We’ll still be online, although we are all looking forward to catching up with sleep and family during the long break. If you miss us, visit our website to see what we’re working on, and don’t hesitate to shoot us an email or a DM with story ideas.

Next semester, we plan to hit the ground running. Our first issue will follow President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, and we can’t wait to talk to VCU’s students and professors about our changing country. We’ll have some new faces and plenty of familiar ones on staff, and although we mostly work from home and on Zoom, our team is energized and dedicated.

From the little yellow building on Broad Street to your home, farewell from The CT’s staff. We’ll be back in January and better than ever. Until then, happy holidays, and please be safe. Take a day to ignore the headlines and check in with your friends and family. The news will still be there when you’re ready. See you in 2021.