What I’ve learned from my time at The Gannon Knight is… humility.
The task of writing this column, wrapping up my time as editor-in-chief, is the ultimate exit survey.
There are countless things I have learned, experiences both good and bad, friends I’ll hold close to my heart for as long as I live and articles that will kickstart my career after Gannon. The keystone in my arch, though, is humility.
Famous author C.S. Lewis once said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” Throughout this past year, I found myself growing to look past myself and toward the others around me.
Through all the red pen smeared across my papers, I learned to accept critical feedback because rarely is there a time when my work is perfect.
Through all the hours spent configuring the website, I learned that the back end of any operation is just as critical as the face.
Through all the heart-in-my-throat moments, I learned that what I think is right isn’t always going to sit well with others, and I have to consider that moving forward.
If you asked me a year ago if I deserved the position as editor-in-chief, I would’ve blushed and made a comment about how I wasn’t worthy of any leadership position, but I faked it this far. If you ask me today, I’d say that I do believe I deserve and even excel in my position. Cue Ron Burgundy – “I don’t know how to say this, but I’m kind of a big deal. People know me, I’m very important. I have many leather-bound books, and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.”
Still, I might say it in a quasi-apologetic tone, but I think that’s due to the sentiment society builds saying that we must not be boastful in any way.
To me, that’s humility. I know I’m good at my job, and I will acknowledge that but even that means nothing without the context I’m about to give you. I do well at my job because of the Gannon community. My staff constantly is pushing me to do my best, coming up with ideas and executing them so well that it’s an honor to provide a platform for their work.
To me, I have not built the newspaper up but rather brought it to a level that matches its community. Prior to my time at the top, The Knight didn’t have a modern, accessible, digital presence.
The changes I made to The Knight, including a new website, increased social media presence, a podcast and investigative stories, came from my commitment to creating a news organization that was past-due.
Students deserve to know what’s going on within their community, have easy access to that information and have an opportunity to utilize their freedom of speech through that platform.
Journalism cannot be defined simply, so I won’t try, but at its basis, it serves the community. Journalists (or good journalists, I should say) do not do what they do for themselves, but for others.
News is constantly changing, but it is always about what impacts other people. The more I learn, the more I am curious to learn more and inform other people, and that’s how I’ve changed.
Although that’s not the cookie-cutter definition of what service is, it is such an integral part of the mission behind The Gannon Knight.
I will move forward in my journalism career in grad school, and The Gannon Knight will move on without me, but just as this news organization acts as my journalistic foundation, I hope my values remain as part of The Knight.

CHLOE FORBES

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