A New Era for The Vista: The Editor-in-Chief’s Perspective

As student journalists, we are taught that our job is to be a watchdog for our communities, to give a voice to the voiceless. I have always held those words close to my heart, and in a world that continues to divide itself through the media, it is more important than ever for journalists to remember this. Recently, several articles have circulated in Oklahoma publications, spreading only half of the information about The Vista moving online. These articles are written by journalists whom I, as a student journalist, have respected. To see these well-respected journalists not present all sides of the story, as we are taught to do, and instead believe the first thing they were told, is very disheartening. 

Four days out of the week, I take the forty-five-minute commute from Norman to the University of Central Oklahoma. I chose UCO because it was recommended to me by Erika Williams. Williams is The Vista advisor and was also my advisor for the Pioneer, the Oklahoma City Community College’s student paper. She helped me find my passion for journalism and inspired me to take that forty-minute drive to further my education.

Near the end of the 2025 spring semester, things in UCO’s professional media department began to stir up. Word had gotten out that The Vista would stop printing and fully move online in the fall. At first, I was frustrated. Why would the University want to take that away from students? My frustration quickly turned to curiosity. I was hearing multiple different things from students and faculty. Gossip and rumors overtook our department. So, I did what I was taught and started asking questions to the faculty and staff who were in charge of making these decisions.

 As I dug deeper, I found out that the account that funded The Vista was now going to fund UCentral Media as well. This was due to low enrollment, causing budget cuts. Williams and the UCentral advisor were now given $56,000 in total to work with and split amongst both programs. They each decided to split the budget directly down the middle, with The Vista and UCentral receiving $28,000 each. With the new budget, continuing to print would have led to a cut in hours and pay. Williams, along with the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, agreed it would be a better use of The Vista’s half of the budget to put more money in students’ pockets and to follow the rising trend of digital journalism. So, they decided that none of The Vista’s $28,000 would go towards printing a paper. People have reached out and offered to fund the printing of The Vista; however, the funds that have been offered would not cover student labor. This is not a feasible solution because most students do not have the luxury of working for free. 

Though it is a frustrating compromise to some, overall, taking print away and putting more money towards students’ pockets gave students more opportunities than it took away. Students can now dedicate more time to writing. Students are no longer constrained to the confines and story limits of a paper. The editors no longer have to worry about spending their time laying out a paper. Now they can put their energy towards giving helpful feedback to students to strengthen their writing. Some students might not have to work a second job anymore because now they are allowed a paid twenty-five hours a week to dedicate to their future careers in journalism. 

Now that I was offered the opportunity to take on the editor-in-chief position, I see The Vista going online as a way to give the Edmond community a news outlet again, since the Edmond Sun stopped printing in 2020. If we go back to print, we lose the Edmond community. And wouldn’t that go against what journalism is about, amplifying the voice of our communities? If we take away the opportunity to give Edmond a voice, we take that voice away from students as well.

I will leave you all with this: First, The Vista is alive and well on ucentralmedia.com; students’ stories are getting published every day. The Vista will just no longer exist in a printed format. Second, I know change is hard, and oftentimes change hurts. However, working with change and learning from those growing pains is how society moves forward. I will be working with the change as The Vista editor-in-chief, and it is up to my peers if they want to do the same. Lastly, if we as journalists continue to believe everything we are told firsthand, refuse to be curious, and only report on one side of a story, we are actively silencing part of the communities we were taught our entire education to voice. It’s time to do better.