"We're Not Puppets"

Here's a story I wrote about The Johnsonian (Winthrop's Student Run Newspaper). It's pretty dramatic I'm not going to lie. haha

Johnsonian
Kathleen Brown

In a gray dimly lit hallway Christy Mullins, Editor in Chief of The Johnsonian, oversees a handful of the paper’s head staff.

“I’m the mommy,” said Mullins with a smile, "I hear all.”

Tyrannical, Mullins is not, but the growth and development that the paper has gone through since she assumed her position at the beginning of the year is impressive. Mullins was the catalyst that transformed The Johnsonian from its half page size to the current broadsheet style it is published in.

Mullins has also been working to instill a deeper network of communication between the editors and the many reporters, columnists, and photojournalists associated with the paper. The editor’s are trying very hard to make sure that the paper’s focus continues to be the completion of an unbiased source of news to the Winthrop student body.

By resisting the onslaught of clubs, restaurants, and organizations begging for free exposure, The Johnsonian is staying out of the lucrative side of things.

“We’re not a P.R. magazine,” said News Editor, Nicole Smith, “We’re here to tell the people what is going on.”

This philosophy can be very hard to maintain when the very news the staff of The Johnsonian release is exactly what get’s them into trouble. As student interest in the policies of the Winthrop administration grows Mullins and Smith especially are finding that information harder to obtain.

It seems that the people at the top would just as soon see the news stories reporters are uncovering stay covered up.

According to Mullins, the paper has not been able to maintain a good relationship with the administration since the beginning of the year.

Not surprisingly the administration’s temper tantrums started up about the time The Johnsonian started to release stories on Winthrop’s handling and mishandling of statewide budget cuts.

“I was called into one of the administrator’s offices and was basically yelled at,” said Mullins.

But, with the threat of censorship looming overhead the “little paper that could” kept rocking the boat and released an editorial exposing the administrations attempts to keep certain information out of the students’ hands.

“We’re not puppets,” explained Mullins, “there is no reason why the same print rights should not apply to us just because we are a college newspaper.”