Today, we are fortunate enough to be talking with the editor-in-chief of Swarthmore’s almost 150-year-old newspaper, the Phoenix.
Who are you, and what do you do?
My name is Melanie Zelle, I am a junior and a history major from St. Paul Minnesota. I am also the current Editor-in-Chief of the Swarthmore Phoenix.
How did you start working at the Phoenix? What was your initial role at the paper?
I started working at The Phoenix the first semester of my freshman year. I was following the news and had thoughts about the world around me that I wanted to share. I started writing pieces for the Opinions section, and eventually wrote enough to qualify as a staff writer. I wrote mostly about political issues in Latin America, but probably my most interesting article from that time was a critique of a contemporary philosopher with something of a cult following that went semi-viral within his fanbase. I applied to be an editor for the Opinions section for the Spring semester of that year; that was my first position on the editorial board.
What is your favorite story that you have overseen the publication of (or written yourself)?
After a semester as Opinions Editor, I moved up to be Managing Editor, which basically entails working on day-to-day operations: making sure stories are going smoothly, putting editors in touch with interested writers, and generally trying to control the chaos of the busy newsroom. I had this role for three semesters and through it I’ve overseen a lot of really excellent stories, so it’s hard for me to choose just one. In general, my favorite articles are those where we’ve gotten to take the time to dig into something and put issues out that a community of busy students might not otherwise be tuned into.
How does one go about joining the Phoenix? Who can write articles?
The Phoenix is 100% open to all students and anyone can write articles. I would encourage anyone interested in writing for The Phoenix to give it a try! If you’re interested in writing for news, but don’t have experience in journalism, don’t let that stop you. Many of our best writers and editors started out at The Phoenix with little, to no, prior experience, and our News Editors are always happy to help show you the ropes. It’s a great way to practice writing, research, communication skills and have fun late-night, pizza-fueled editing sessions in Parrish.
The Opinions section also frequently accepts submissions from students, professors, staff, alumni, and letters to the editor from Swarthmore town residents and local organizations. We also have an arts section filled with film analysis, reviews of on and off campus plays. Campus Journal is our variety page, with personal narratives, humorous commentary and other fun peculiarities. Lastly, our Sports page highlights Swarthmore’s talented student athletes and provides weekly recaps of our many team’s success. Additionally, our print papers have puzzles, comics and lots more that we source from our many wonderful community members.
Reading the Phoenix, one can see that Swarthmore is extremely diverse in many ways–our backgrounds, interests, aesthetic preferences, writing styles–but one respect in which our campus is pretty homogenous is perhaps in our political affiliations. How do you (or the Phoenix team in general) write about politics when you, in a sense, preach to the choir? What role does this kind of local journalism play?
I would first push back on the notion of Swarthmore being a politically homogeneous place. While it is true that the majority of students and faculty are broadly left-of-center in some way, that does not mean that there is not also tremendous diversity of opinion on moral, philosophical, and political issues. In my experience, most Swatties aren’t that interested in debating boilerplate topics like abortion or immigration, but I’ve had fantastic conversations with those I strongly disagree on questions like the viability of electoralism, the place of nuclear energy in fighting climate change, and the political foundations of the Parisian uprising during the Franco-Prussian war.
In terms of the practical side of Swarthmore’s politics, I’m not sure if it makes too much of a difference in the nature of our coverage. We’re not first and foremost a political paper, but that’s not to say our articles don’t often involve politics. I am sometimes asked by family or friends if we’ll be covering this or that piece of national news and usually my answer is no. There’s little reason for us to spend our time producing a facsimile of what folks at the AP or the Guardian are writing, and we can never compete with their full-time staff on timeliness. What we aim to do is to contextualize bigger stories’ impact within the specifics of Swarthmore, because we have knowledge of our own community that bigger outlets just don’t have. How did Swatties vote in a crucial swing state? What do Trump’s freezes on climate funds mean for Swarthmore’s sustainability goals? How did a Supreme Court case change the way Swarthmore can make admissions decisions? These are the questions we try to answer at The Phoenix, to supplement student’s already rich media diet with a local flavor.
What’s an amusing Phoenix anecdote/legend?
The Phoenix is a very old institution, founded in 1881, which makes it nearly as old as the college itself. I would encourage anyone interested in the history of the college to check out the archived issues of the paper, which go all the way back. One interesting incident in 1993 involved a duo who campaigned for leadership positions in The Phoenix for the express purpose of taking the paper on strike. Editors and writers wanted either academic credit or payment for their hours of work per week, and eventually reached a deal through which the school began offering a half credit journalism course.
The Phoenix can be read at https://swarthmorephoenix.com/.