Since its inception in 1934, The Appalachian has brought student journalists together to learn how to speak truth to power. In its 90 years, they have received many collegiate reporting awards and accolades from the industry while consistently providing the student body and community with timely local news.
By Griffin Cummings
The Appalachian newspaper has served the High Country for nearly a century
The Appalachian, Appalachian State University’s student-run newspaper establiswhed in 1934, celebrated its 90th anniversary on March 28, 2025, at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
For 90 years, The Appalachian has upheld ethical, high-quality journalism through its student-run newsroom. The newspaper’s 90th anniversary celebration highlighted its legacy with special guests, including alumni and university staff.
“There was so much effort that went into this,” said Meg Frantz, associate arts and culture editor and incoming editor-in-chief of The Appalachian. “We invested heavily in ad revenue just to get the word out because it really mattered to us. Jenna, Emily and Ethan were incredible—they handled so much of the planning, and honestly, it wouldn’t have happened without them. Professors came, people from the communication department showed up—it truly felt like the whole community was involved.”
To commemorate 90 years of The Appalachian, the newspaper highlighted Appalachian State’s history through special coverage, including archival photos, feature stories and curated collections.
Jenna Guzman, editor-in-chief, wrote in an article, “I would like to thank everyone who has ever supported our publication. To those who work and have worked for this publication, thank you for being a part of our foundation and playing a role in our history
and future. Thank you to our advertisers and donors who have helped support student journalism and allowed our publication to continue printing each month. And finally, thank you to our readers, whether you’ve been with us for one year or all 90, and hopefully for many more.”
During the event, students and staff hosted a trivia game that highlighted key dates in the newspaper’s history, including questions about various events—some as recent as Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
“The newspaper is nearly as old as the school, and its history is significant. I think the students at The Appalachian were extremely proud of that legacy and really wanted to give back to the community with an event that showcased not just their recent work, but the work that’s been done over the last nine decades. It was an incredibly important event—not just to see the support from the broader community, but to show that the students care and are aware of the legacy they’re continuing,” said Leigh Tauss, student publications adviser and director at Appalachian State University.
In March 2025, The Appalachian received several honors, including the “Best Newspaper” award at the College Media Association’s ProCon convention in New York City. The awards were presented during the David L. Adams Apple Awards ceremony.
“I think it all adds to the strength of the programming. To have an effective student
media organization, you need great teachers, a strong classroom education, and a platform where students can apply those skills. What I always say is that the most beautiful thing about The Appalachian is that it’s one of the only places on campus where students can get involved, be creative, and do things entirely on their own,” said Tauss. Appalachian State University houses the
W. L. Eury
Appalachian Collection, known as the largest collection of secondary sources on Appalachia in the world. Students and student journalists often use archival clips for features highlighting historical events—many of which were showcased at the event.
“I think journalism, in general, is unpredictable. But at its core, journalism is about people—it’s about caring for your community and wanting to make it better. So if you have people involved who are truly driven to serve their communities through journalism, then the future might look different in terms of how we publish stories, but the mission will stay the same,” said Tauss.
transparency and fairness within reporting are a top concern. With AI responses as a source of information, the user must proceed with caution and note that the response may be gibberish.
“I’m giving it the precise things I want to say. And then I make sure that I’m 100% with everything I said. That is something I’m willing to put my name to,” said Leonardo Flores, a digital literature specialist.
When using AI, the audience must know what has been influenced or sourced by AI. Not only does this help to increase transparency, but this helps to hold the journalist accountable for the information they are reporting.
Misinformation becomes relevant when discussing AI. Deepfakes, cloned voices and generated images have swept through politics and other media, leaving the audience questioning what is real and what is fake. How do we differentiate AI from real, accurate information?
Another concern surrounding AI is the impact it will have on the job market and creativity as a whole. Will journalism be replaced? Will the general public start to become less creative or lazy?
Journalism plays a vital role in verifying facts
and ensurin accurate information. Though AI can create a story quickly and cost-efficiently, the information may not be valid or reliable.
“Using it as a tool is helpful only if you actually understand the topic area. You bring expertise to the table that AI can’t,” Porto said.
Regulations surrounding AI are currently scarce in the U.S. Over 70 percent of newsrooms use AI, yet 79.3 percent of newsrooms have no established policy on AI, according to a report by the Thomson Reuters Foundation What makes AI responses copyrightable? At what point does the information being used become yours? How much human interaction is needed? These questions are being handled case by case — as of now, the information is unknown.
So, what is next for AI? First, it’s important to realize that AI is not going anywhere. Since the 1950’s people have explored AI — it is only going to continue to develop and get more sophisticated. We, as a technological society, will continue to progress with AI and use AI as a tool, but that tool is only as powerful as the person using it.
to write uncomfortable stories. But if you do those, you can do the ones you really want to write really well,” Rogers said.
Walker doesn’t plan on going into journalism. “I know that I am going to use the skills I learned in journalism, but I think I want to go more into the design aspect,” she said.
Communication goes beyond just being able to speak succinctly. It involves being an observer, active listener and being able to write
concisely. Student journalists also learn to think critically while evaluating sources, and develop a keen eye to verification.
Journalists have a toolkit of soft skills at their disposal, which can help them in any career.
Many students may shy away from journalism because they think all they will cover is government hearings or politics. In reality, journalism covers so many more topics.
Above all, journalism is a versatile field, with opportunities to use communication skills inside and outside of the profession. “Dr. Kasoma always says ‘once a journalist, always a journalist,’” Rogers said, reflecting on one of his favorite digital journalism professors at App State.
By Lorelei Roberts
As students walk around campus there are graduation gowns with camera shutters nearby while dodging a falling grad cap on the way to class. The ones holding the camera are students looking for a way to build their portfolios and afford their next camera lens.
Many student photographers will start out by advertising for free on social media, but usually start out through word of mouth, asking friends and family if they need pictures for anything.
“I started out booking by just emailing or texting people,” Kafer said.
A student photographer’s portfolio showcases their skills, personal style and how much they have learned and improved. Students get booked for events by free advertising, using instagram to show their work or take a walk around in order to have their portfolios ready by graduation.
A photo session with a student photographer can include different locations and outfit
changes depending on the different packages selected. Joel Franquiz, a senior photography major, said he use Google Calendar to plan out sessions and share the invite with the client.
Franquiz started his photo session with Zoe Horton, a senior psychology major, by assembling his camera and taking test shots for the lighting outside of Smith-Wright Hall. Horton posed with her bouquet of flowers as Franquiz took steps back and forth for different angles with small breaks to adjust his camera settings.
“Last spring I did over 15 shoots, which was a lot for me,” Franquiz said. “That was between three different schools.”
Someone’s first impression of Franquiz might be seeing him laying on the ground with his camera pointed up to capture his signature grad cap shot.
“I wanted to add some emphasis to a typical photo,” said Franquiz.
App State rents camera equipment through the library and the “photo cage” through the photography program. Student photographers
Carolyn Edy’s story and the ties between journalism and history
By Riley Proserpi
Carolyn Edy is an academic who wears many hats. She serves as a faculty direcor of university accreditation and is a professor of digital journalism under the Department of Communication at Appalachian State University.
Edy highlights the importance of verification and fact-checking and her work serves as a reminder of the role journalism plays in uncovering the truth and telling untold stories.
To Edy, “the power of journalism” brings to mind a saying her former boss told her. “Use your powers for good,” she said.
journalists to help us be an informed public and uphold our democracy, Edy said.
But since the beginning of the United States we’ve also had people use that in deceptive, malicious or harmful ways, she said. When she thinks of the power of journalism she thinks about how journalism not only has the power to do good, but the power to do harm, she said.
Edy defines journalism by the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics and by professional standards, which means that it isn’t journalism if it’s not being used for good, she said.
This is a double-edged sword because there are many people who call themselves journalists and have misued it since the beginning of the term. In our country, where we have the First Amendment, we have long relied on
Edy follows all the principles of journalism, and they have helped her in every role she’s ever had, from verifying facts and finding out information to avoiding and honoring conflicts of interest, Edy said.
The work of a historian is so similar to the work of a journalist, Edy said. She quoted the old adage “journalism is the first draft of history.”
Edy loves going out and finding stories and she also loves that aspect of history. In many ways it is the same thing, even when you can’t interview sources from 100 years ago, she said.
When she first became interested in study-
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whom the press promoted as novelties and as the subject of the stories themselves, as well as those whose clippings, correspondence, and other papers are stored in library collections, are easiest for historians to find,” she wrote.
Most texts, films, exhibits, and so forth that describe the history of female war correspondents say that the United States military accredited between 100 and 130 women as war correspondents to cover World War II, with some listing the names of the correspondents included in that count. The number and the lists are wrong, Edy wrote.
When she first dug into the names on the published lists that appear in several books, as well as within the Library of Congress online exhibit “Women Come to the Front,” she noticed some misspelled names and duplicates, where women were listed by both their married and given names. Soon after, she noticed that these lists also omitted the names of some of the most experienced female war correspondents who gained military accreditation during World War II.
The Library of Congress’s list is missing the names of at least sixty-five women whom the United States accredited as war correspondents during World War II, Edy wrote in the book “The Woman War Correspondent, the U.S. Military, and The Press: 1846–1947.”
“My research examining military records in the National Archives, including copies of war correspondent passes, status updates, theater award records, and correspondence from all theaters of war, revealed that the US military
had accredited at least 180 women during World War II,” Edy wrote.
Many published lists veer so far from names documented in military records and further corroborated by press clippings and official correspondence, Edy wrote.
“I think it’s important to know our past in order to know who we are and where we’re going and I think the part of me that will always align with journalism is that I love finding stories that haven’t been told,” Edy said.
“I think what else may have come of it is that in my book, I uncover all these women that maybe people hadn’t heard about or wouldn’t hear about,” Edy said.
“Now, some of the women have Wikipedia pages, which isn’t necessarily from my book. Although I do know of instances where people have gone through the list of war correspondents that I created, that show all of the women and their roles and which wars and which papers. There are students who have used those lists to go and write articles,” Edy said.
“If nothing else, I like that some of these women who had just amazing stories are being looked into again, and people are thinking about them again,” Edy said.
In 2023, Edy published a book with Chris Dubbs, “The Weekly War: How the Saturday Evening Post Reported World War I.” In that book, they did biographies and looked further into a lot of the war correspondents.
Edy found all of these really fascinating stories about Eleanor Egan’s childhood that she’d never seen or known before. Now those are written in, and now, those are there for someone else to look at her story and kind of take it into another direction too, Edy said.
“I hope that that’s kind of helped some of these women’s stories live on and serve as inspiration to other women,” Edy said.
By Hugh Bray
The digital landscape today is vastly different from where it was 30 years ago. Advancements in technology, online platforms and the constant stream of information overload play a pivotal role in how people access and process news. While there are countless benefits to these advancements, the negative effects do not go unnoticed.
Mental health in online spaces has become an increasingly discussed issue. Ranging from social media to digital journalism, experts are observing behavioral changes related to the rise of information overload.
Dr. Lynette Holman is a professor of digital journalism and media effects researcher in the Department of Communication at Appalachian State University, and worked for the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, during the industry’s shift from print to digital platforms.
“I was able to do my design and then output it, get it plated, get it printed,” Holman said, “I saw all of that change and improve, and we got faster, and the work got better.”
“The Virginian-Pilot was also expanding our reach to online and broadcast realms. We called it ‘convergence’ at the time,” Holman said.
As the quality of journalism improved and access to information expanded, so too did concern over its impact. In a 2017 article, Mental Health Concerns in the Digital Age, authors wrote that as of 2015, “68% of adults in the United States have a smartphone, 3.2 billion people in globally are using the internet and approximately 65% of individuals living in developed countries have at least two portable devices.” According to Statistica, the global number of smartphone users is forecast to increase between 2024 and 2029 by 1.8 billion users. The smartphone user base is estimated to reach 6.1 billion users and therefore a new peak in 2029. According to researchers David A. Scott, Bart Valley and Brooke A. Simecka, such widespread access can lead to overuse and abuse.
The authors argue that mental health issues are still emerging from technology, issues such as “affective, cognitive and behavioral concerns,” like, “excess stress, decreased emotional connection, decreased self-esteem, attention fragmentation, erosion of empathy,” and more. A primary driver of these behaviors stems from,
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they noted, is information overload.
Information overload occurs when the human mind struggles to process the sheer volume of information being provided at a time. In an article, The Effect of Information Overload in Digital Media News Content, authors wrote “nowadays the internet, more specifically, social media is spreading the different versions of the news in no time.” This leads to manipulated information shared through the internet, confusing the audience and the “vast amount of information prevents them from accessing the right information.”
Despite the challenges, some individuals are finding ways to navigate through the digital noise. Dr. Robert McKeever, a professor in
the Department of Advertising and Public relations at The University of Alabama, said it’s possible for individuals to overcome the confusion of information overload.
“There’s the person and then there’s the information. And so, you have to have individuals who are willing to go beyond whatever information overload and call it and get outside of it and like, make well-reasoned decisions that are based on things that are beyond what they might be seeing, in any given filtered situation,” McKeever said.
McKeever mentions that journalism must continue to meet the informational needs of the community and prioritize ethics and principles.
Holman agrees. She believes it is important for journalists to honor the roots of the profession and strive for high-quality, investigative journalism, especially when reporting on issues of health and science, the focus of her media effects research. In an article she published with fellow UNC-Chapel Hill Ph.D. classmate McKeever, they found that past maternal mental health reporting fostered
Dr. Kananovich discusses her upbringing in post-Soviet Belarus and how that influenced her career
by Graham Ryan
Dr. Volha Kananovich began her teaching ventures at Appalachian State University in 2019, and has since become one of the most beloved professors in the Department of Communication. However, before her time in Boone, Dr. Kananovich was born and raised in Belarus, a post-Soviet country that shares its eastern border with current-day Russia. During her upbringing, Belarus’s very centralized economic system was under tight control from the government alongside their news media.
“[The media] was used as a tool to present economic success, political success, and all kinds of accomplishments by the government as ‘the Soviet way of thinking’ that was better than other alternative systems,” Kananovich said.
However, when she began studying economics, she saw their claims were far from the truth.
“I could see how the reality of Belarus not performing well economically clashed with the way the news media were presenting the economic performance of the government.” Kananovich said.
That experience showed her how massively journalism shapes reality and ignited her childhood ambition to tell people’s stories.
In August of 2023, Kananovich published a research article on how internet memes are serving as a way for people to criticize the government in Russia.
“This piece was inspired by what I saw in Russia… In Russia, as an increasingly authoritarian country, people started creating memes where they push back against the government propaganda that was very anti-American.” Kananovich said.
She explained that the Russian government often uses the United States as a scapegoat for their own shortcomings, and as the citizens of Russia began to take notice, they began creating memes.
“[People] began creating memes that put American presidents in these ridiculous contexts, undermining Russia in very trivial ways. For example, they would be showing President Biden stealing a lightbulb from an apartment building, or Donald Trump ruining a road with
a hammer.” Kananovich said.
Upon first glance, one might assume that these memes are a demonstration of the Russian people’s displeasure for the United States, but upon further examination it’s unveiled that the memes are actually sarcastic and are making fun of their own government. Kananovich believes that memes are a “very rich artifact of communication” that allow the citizens of the world to push back against something they don’t support.
“Memes allow them to [speak against the government] without necessarily putting themselves in danger of being persecuted, because the government cannot go after them for memes since they’re such a trivial matter.” Kananovich said.
When Dr. Kananovich isn’t publishing research articles, she spends her time teaching various journalism courses at Appalachian State University such as data journalism, multimedia storytelling, and more. She approaches teaching journalism not just as a means to educate future journalists, but to also educate current journalism consumers.
“I hope that [students] take away a more sophisticated understanding of how journalism works, and that would allow them to articulate it for themselves as media users or citizens… And know how journalism works at the levels of mechanics and journalistic practices.”
Kananovich said.
Dr. Kananovich often structures her classes around a mix of both journalistic concepts on the end of the journalist and media literacy concepts on the end of the audience. She explained that understanding how to interpret journalism and deeply understand it is just as important as being able to write a solid piece.
“Students tell me semester after semester that they appreciate our conversations about the functions of journalism in a democracy, but they also appreciate knowing how journalism works at the level of making big and small decisions about how to interview sources, how to make sure you are providing the closest approximation to reality, and understanding how much time and effort goes into that.” Kananovich said.
By Greta Jenkins
For Dr. Twange Kasoma, journalism isn’t just a profession; it’s a legacy. As a Zambia native, educator and media scholar, Dr. Kasoma brings a deeply personal and global perspective to the field, shaped by her background and her ongoing commitment to truth in storytelling.
Dr. Kasoma is the daughter of a well-known African journalist — her father, Professor Francis Kasoma. “He got me excited about his profession,” Kasoma said. “He would buy me a journal and ask me to write down the main points on the news. That’s how I learned to write — before I even knew I was learning.”
Kasoma’s journey as a journalist began at the University of Zambia, where she served as assistant editor of the campus newspaper in her freshman year and editor by her sophomore year. “Journalism is in the blood,” she said.
Now, as an associate professor with a Ph.D. in Communication and Society from the University of Oregon, Kasoma is also a
passionate observer of press conditions in Africa, mainly in Zambia, Ghana and Liberia. She focuses on the barriers that the press in Zambia has to face.
“Unlike the U.S., where you have the First Amendment, Zambia doesn’t have a clause in the Constitution that guarantees freedom of the press,” she said. “We have freedom of speech, yes, but it doesn’t necessarily extend to journalists.” This leaves Zambian reporters vulnerable when reporting on government actions or sensitive political issues.
Low pay and outdated newsroom technology also hinder Zambian journalists. “Sometimes you can’t even find a computer to work on before deadline,” she said. “The cell phone has become a tool to report news.”
Despite these barriers, Kasoma sees hope in how journalists adapt, especially through community-based radio and social media. “Radio plays a huge role… it’s cheap, accessible and used as a collective medium. One household might play it on full blast so
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how youth listen to the radio in Monrovia. “We found that most young people are now using their cell phones to listen to the radio,” she said. “It’s shifted from a collective experience to an individual one, which has cultural implications.”
Kasoma’s commitment to journalism is formed in her belief in its power to create
societal change. As an undergraduate, she witnessed it firsthand when Zambian journalists stopped a president from illegally changing the constitution to seek a third term. “The media continuously reported that it was against the Constitution,” she said. “Eventually, he relented. That’s the power of journalism—it holds leaders accountable.”
To young journalists, her advice is realistic and encouraging: “If you’re looking for money, this is not the profession. But if you want to make an impact on society, welcome.”
Kasoma’s story is one of perseverance, mentorship and belief in the power of words—a calling that continues to shape lives both at home and abroad.
By Gracie Perkins
Without cell service or internet access, Christopher Moody had to find a way to report from the scene of Hurricane Helene to editors at The New York Times. He climbed a mountain to find cell service and report, then returned to the flood zone to gather information before hiking back up to send additional updates.
“For Helene, it was so important to tell what was going on here, because people didn’t quite understand what was happening,” Moody said. “Mudslides, rivers under the roads, people isolated, no way to get food to people. Folks don’t get it.”
For journalists stationed in western North Carolina, Hurricane Helene brought a story, and it was up to them to tell it. Moody said the chance to tell a story is fleeting.
“You really have to know when to act, and you can’t let the moment slip, because that’s one thing about news. It’s here today and gone tomorrow, and you have to jump through that window as soon as it opens,” Moody said.
In a time where anyone can take on the role of a journalist on the internet, especially through social media, the truth can be difficult to find.
Moody encourages citizens to tell their own stories, though there’s always a risk of information being misinterpreted or misrepresented.
“At best, it’s just a mistake, but at worst, it’s actually nefarious actors that are intentionally misleading people to try to get them to think a certain way,” Moody said.
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For journalists, best practices include being there physically and telling the truth.
Reflecting on his coverage of Hurricane Helene, Moody emphasized the importance of being present in his reporting.
“I saw it with my eyeballs, because I was here, I was looking at the wreckage. I was smelling the smells, and hearing the chainsaws and seeing the trees that had fallen down,” Moody said. “Seeing things with your own
eyes is so important. Going to the story is essential.”
Online news, including social media, currently ranks as the top source of news in the United States. American citizens are shifting away from traditional news media and consuming more digital and social media to stay informed. Because trust in traditional news is low, many are relying on newer, less traditional media to stay informed, according to the Reuters Institute’s 2024 Digital News Project at the University of Oxford.
“Initially, social media was a really cool gift. You didn’t have to go through the publication process,” Moody said.
As media continues to evolve, journalists are expected to become versatile storytellers, equipped with the necessary skills to adapt to
By John Layman
Dr. Evan Ringel was interviewed by students in person on March 20 to discuss his perspective on the current state of journalism and provide background on his work in the communication field.
Ringel’s first career was as a professional musician. At the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he earned a bachelor’s degree in music as a jazz trombone player.
Following that career, Ringel earned a Juris Doctor in Law and a master’s and Ph.D. in Media and Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Today, Ringel is a faculty member in the Department of Communication at Appalachian State University. Ringel teaches Communication Law, Journalism Ethics in a Free Society and Journalism Matters.
As an expert on the First Amendment, Ringel was asked about cases that he found particularly interesting.
“I think they’re all interesting,” Ringel
said, “My students don’t necessarily agree, but one of my favorites is Hustler v. Falwell, which is a case involving intentional infliction of emotional distress… It involves Hustler Magazine, which is a famous pornographic magazine, and Jerry Falwell, who is the founder of Liberty College and a very noted conservative evangelical. I think one of the things that I love about that case, and so many other cases, is that often the folks that we see as like, free speech pioneers or protectors, are people who we wouldn’t necessarily think of as people we like, right. I had a mentor who said that the First Amendment is all about protecting sucky speech from sucky dudes. I really like that because I think if we think about it in that context, then it broadens out into protecting speech for everybody.”
Ringel then went into detail about his personal feelings about the First Amendment. “As I tell my students, first in your hearts, first on the test,” Ringel said. He went on to say that he believes that freedom of speech; press
and religion are the core tenets America was built on.
“I think it’s something that people can rally around potentially in times of division. Something that people can really lean on in times of strength. I think the First Amendment is very multifaceted. I particularly believe in freedom of speech. I often try and challenge myself to embrace speech even when I may find it personally objectionable.”
Ringel also spoke about the First Amendment’s role as it relates to the power of journalism.
“The First Amendment provides the protections that journalists have, for the most part,” he said. “Obviously there’s some other federal and state laws that can supplement protections. But the First Amendment, and one of the things that I actually find really interesting about it is though it says freedom of the press, it actually doesn’t protect journalists any different than it protects anyone else. So, when people talk about First Amendment
protections for journalists, it’s actually just First Amendment protections for everyone, for you, for me, for everybody in this room, everybody on campus and journalists also have those protections, but they don’t have their own…Which I think is really interesting.”
One of Ringel’s most noteworthy publications is a law review titled First Amendment Limits on State Laws Targeting Election Misinformation, which he co-wrote with law professor David S. Ardia.
A key point made in the conclusion of the review deals with political speech, a common subject when discussing the power journalists have in society.
“Political speech has long been viewed as residing at the core of the First Amendment’s protections for speech. Yet it has become increasingly clear that lies and other forms of misinformation associated with elections are corrosive to democracy.”
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By Georgia Dixon
Local publications, including the Watauga Democrat and the High Country Press, cover Boone and its surrounding area. Yet, Boone does not have an outlet solely dedicated to covering Hispanic and Latino communities, which make up the second largest population. Local folks are working to change that fact.
Bryan Alonso-Hernandez, senior electronic media and broadcasting major, works for AppTV’s Appalachian Weekly News as an interviewer, anchor and cameraman. He has also previously worked with Buenos Días Boone, an experience which allowed him to connect with the Latino and Hispanic community in Boone.
stronger despite its smaller size.
“I keep going back to Raleigh, I keep going around just because it’s such a culture shock, so to say, when I came here, because there we have our own local Spanish news station,” Alonso-Hernandez said. “Here, there’s nothing. Just Q’Pasa Appalachia, The Appalachian and Buenos Días Boone.”
Alonso-Hernandez describes the Latino and Hispanic community in Boone as small compared to his hometown of Raleigh, but
Alonso-Hernandez said the Latino and Hispanic communities are always open to talking. When people come to them, they appreciate it.
“Sometimes people are scared to talk to people here, and maybe sometimes some people are the other way, too,” Alonso-Hernandez said. “Some Hispanic, Latino communities are a bit afraid to talk to media people, but at the same time, they are more open.”
Adams, Co-Founder and CEO of Q’Pasa Appalachia and Assistant Director for Student Leadership with GEAR UP at Appalachian State speaks on her commitment to serving and advocating for the inclusion and empowerment of High County Latinos and Hispanics.
department for five years, left when her eldest son Joshua was born, and returned to work five years later as a Spanish interpreter and translator for Watauga County Schools.
“It was a beautiful transition, because I worked with multiple of those community members already, so the trust was already there,” Adams said.
While working as a translator, Adams said she noticed “there was always maybe a little gap here and there about information.”
Adams said she often received questions about how to apply for food stamps or how to access health resources. She said she became the link between resources and families in the community.
“If I didn’t have the answer, I didn’t say no I don’t know the answer,” Adams said.
Adams said she always tried to find the answer to their questions. During the pandemic, there was a need to tell people how to get tested, find resources and understand how the pandemic was affecting the community.
“It was like overwhelming for anyone, regardless of language barriers,” Adams said.
So, she said she officially founded the Q’Pasa Appalachia Facebook page to curate resources for her community.
Adams originally believed the pandemic would last weeks, but it lasted a lot longer than expected.
“We decided, ah, okay, this is gonna give us a platform,” Adams said about the Q’Pasa Appalachia Facebook page. “It will be a bridge builder, an even stronger foundation with other organizations and resources.”
Adams said the organization was always meant to benefit all of the community.
In the past 10 years, Q’Pasa Appalachia’s work has been about building trust with outside businesses that want to reach Latinos and Hispanics, Adams said.
“Just by building that bridge, it creates this atmosphere like, I belong here,” Adams said. “I’m not an outsider; I’m actually a part of this community.”
recordings, the transcription and the other materials will find a home here for people to use,” Coltrain said.
Coltrain said one of his favorite oral history projects in the Special Collections is called the Appalachian LGBT project from about 15 years ago. The project contains interviews from people in the queer community who shared what their lives looked like in surrounding areas.
Special Collections are important is because they help localize larger stories and show the effects that national and global events have had on the Appalachian region.
“As local journalism changes or disappears altogether, hopefully cultural organizations and places like us can help fill in some of those gaps,” Coltrain said.
“It’s through things like oral history projects led by community members and professors here at App State that will really, like get that story written down in a way that’s easy to digest; that people can learn about,” Coltrain said. “I think that’s really critical.”
Another reason Coltrain thinks oral history and other materials that are preserved within
According to the Close Up Foundation, as of 2024, there were nearly 6,000 newspapers published in the United States, but two have shut down every week on average.
As distrust in the media continues to increase, knowledge of journalism’s history and its professional standards, bound by ethics, is crucial to understanding why the industry matters. While the creation of the
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printing press is taught in standard history lessons, other key moments in the development of the profession are frequently left unnoticed by the average person.
In the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment protections of freedom of speech, the press and religion were all prioritized in order to maintain the spread of non-government regulated information.
The Society of Professional Journalists is an organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional right of the free practice of journalism.
“We increase public awareness and support of the First Amendment through training and education,” the SPJ website says.
Another crucial role the SPJ has in the industry is through their set of outlined ethics that are widely used in newsrooms and journalism classrooms across the country.
Their comprehensive set of ethics includes four pliers of how a journalist should conduct their work — seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently and be accountable and transparent.
Journalists employ these professional ethics in their firsthand accounts of historical events, thus informing the public and providing a vital service to maintaining democracy. Journalism’s rich history reflects important moments where this role has been highlighted.
Additionally, as technology continues to evolve, the process of documentation continues to evolve with it. From the analog printing press
to digital publications, journalists have been adapting the way they tell stories for centuries.
“We embrace, employ and educate journalists on technology and innovation to build journalism’s future,” the SPJ website says.
Like the journalism industry, Coltrain said that the Special Collections librarians are also working hard to evolve with technology in
ways that are both beneficial and ethical.
“We’re all about access and looking for ways to make our materials accessible and discoverable, like easy to find, so I think technology can aid in that,” Coltrain said.
One way that Coltrain said he feels comfortable using AI is to help transcribe interviews, although he always also plays a role in the transcriptions.
He also said he values how there is more capacity for storage online rather than physically, but he said he wants to be careful about what is spread on the internet due to the vulnerability of certain communities and their stories.
“Overall, I’m trying to stay positive about how technology is changing things,” Coltrain said.
The state is home to 13 online news organizations ... working to deliver regional news.
combating news deserts comes from student journalists.
Across the country, student-run media outlets are stepping in where local journalism has disappeared. When The Oglethorpe Echo in rural Georgia faced closure, the University of Georgia partnered with the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication to keep the paper alive. Students now
produce the Echo’s content while gaining hands-on newsroom experience.
Similar efforts are taking shape elsewhere. The Eudora Times in Kansas, an online newspaper, is staffed by University of Kansas journalism students. In Massachusetts, Northeastern University’s Boston Scope gives students opportunities to report on underserved communities.
In the High Country, The Appalachian, the student-run newspaper at Appalachian State University, continues to play a vital role in and around Boone. Beyond campus news, student reporters cover local government, regional issues and everything in between. Students frequently write for the local newspaper The Watauga Democrat as well.
As traditional media continues to contract, student-led initiatives like these may be the last line of defense against the rapid spread of America’s news deserts.
“All the journalism professors at App were great.”
— Moss Brennan
fessors at App were great. It was kind of all of them, all of the work they did and the help they gave me,” Brennan said.
Like Cruz, Brennan was also dedicated to The Appalachian, working different positions as a writer and editor at various desks.
“Political editor was most fun because we hadn’t had that position before. It was a lot of figuring stuff out, and I got to focus on one beat. Editor-in-chief was fun, but it is a lot of responsibility,” said Brennan.
In 2021, when Brennan first began working for The Watauga Democrat, he said during his interview that he wouldn’t stay in Boone after his lease ended in August. Five years and
several desk positions later, Brennan still reports with the Watauga Democrat, and mostly reports emergency service and crime-related stories. He says his love of human connection is one of his favorite parts of the job.
“When people see themselves in the paper and get really excited, especially the kids. When parents ask for copies of the paper because of a high school game, and their kid is in the print, that’s one of the big things,” Brennan said.
Since graduation, Cruz has worked for several publications and discovered her love for the crime and court beat. She now works at WABE as a criminal justice reporter. Cruz says that, although journalism can be difficult, her love of impact keeps her passionate about her work.
“With everything going on on the federal level, it can be overwhelming. I just really enjoy getting feedback from the community, when they say ‘I learned something new,’ or ‘thank you for sharing this story, thank you for listening to me, thank you for coming out,’” Cruz said. “Just stories like that where I feel like I have an impact on the community.”
Dear Readers, Welcome to this edition of Ink Magazine. In these pages, you’ll find stories that reflect on the power of journalism. From Boone, North Carolina, we’ve gathered stories that inform, connect and highlight the importance of truth. Each piece is a reminder that journalism matters and that it plays a vital role in shaping and supporting our communities.
Gracie Perkins Creative Director, Ink Magazine
Riley Prosperi is a digital journalism major with a minor in apparel design and merchandising.
and
Multimedia Editor
Graham Ryan is a senior journalism student at Appalachian State University with in-depth experience in the field of multimedia reporting. He has spent three semesters on the multimedia desk at The Appalachian and in that time has produced a number of award-winning and record-setting videos & podcasts.
Greta is a senior digital journalism major at App State from Charlotte, N.C. She is passionate about spreading accurate information and creating an informed society. After graduation, she hopes to find a copyeediting job.
Georgia Dixon is a journalism major and psychology minor at Appalachian State University. She currently writes for the news desk at The Appalchian. She is from Charlotte, North Carolina. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in Clinical Pyschology.
Jaiden is a senior digital journalism major at Appalachian State. He is passionate about pop culture, music, and storytelling. He is interested in how media and community intersect. When he’s not creating content, you’ll find him snowboarding, listening to live music, or hanging out his friends.
Gracie Perkins is a senior journalism and public relations student at Appalachian State University. She is from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Joseph Cucci is a senior at Appalachian State. He is majoring in journalism with a minor in English. He is passionate about reading and writing and hopes to potentially go into the editing space after college. Outside of school, he enjoys playing guitar and reading.
Julie Sullivan is a 20-year-old senior who is set to graduate in May 2025. She grew up in Mount Olive, NC. Her interests include reading, video editing, and roller-skating. She plans to live in the triangle area after graduation while working as a freelance reporter.
John Layman is currently a full-time student. He is a senior with a major in journalism and a minor in psychology. He is from Winston-Salem. He has aspirations of being a successful author.