I have probably spent more time in the office of The Daily Pennsylvanian than any other building on Penn’s campus, but this column will be the first and only time you will see my name on a byline.
I served as the business manager of the DP on the 140th Board, and the finance manager on the 139th Board. At the DP, we pride ourselves on being independent from the University. It was an honor to be responsible for the financial health of this organization, especially in such a volatile environment like the student media industry. This role also taught me how to be an educated consumer of media, and how you can be one, too.
As American media becomes increasingly shaped by polarization, ownership, and political pressure, consumers across the political spectrum are not just interpreting the same events differently, but now consume entirely different news in the first place. Ownership and political pressure affect news outlets, even if we like to assume that they’re independent. For example, the CEO of Paramount, David Ellison, whose father is major Republican donor Larry Davidson, was reported to have assured Trump administration officials that he would make major changes to CNN as part of Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Media literacy today is not just about spotting “fake news,” but also about understanding and staying informed about who owns news outlets, and what political and financial incentives they face.
You may have noticed by now that reading the DP does not require any payment or subscription. As business manager, I emphasized the importance of not compromising editorial independence or quality for the sake of revenue. Penn students can improve their media literacy in a familiar environment by interacting with the DP, a publication that reports on our community and is produced by peers who are not bound by corporate or administrative interests.
I urge Penn students to explore the history of the DP’s independence from the Penn administration, and push large news organizations to separate ownership from editorial decision making. At the same time, the Penn community has a responsibility to hold the DP accountable for what we publish. I encourage you to learn the differences between Letters to the Editor, staff columns, guest columns, and editorials. Media is a participatory practice, and I encourage you to make use of these options, especially Letters to the Editor or guest columns, if you disagree with a published position or article. By interacting with your college newspaper, you can build skills to eventually push back on controversial editorial or column positions published by larger news outlets.
To the current and future members of the DP: It is also part of the DP’s mission as a student paper to inform readers about journalistic practices and vocabulary. We should make it clear when an article does or does not reflect the views of our organization. We should make editors available to our readership, and be an organization that is involved on campus. Some of my best memories at the DP were tabling on Locust Walk and talking to students about their views on the work that we do. It’s crucial that the DP engages with the Penn community, educates them on how a newspaper should be run, and listens to advice on how we can improve.
I am grateful for the people, experiences, and purpose that working at this institution has given me. The students in the DP benefit from taking on an active role in informing Penn students about the editorial process. Simultaneously, by regularly reading and interacting with the DP, other Penn students can become more educated consumers of media throughout the rest of their lives.
ZAIN QURESHI is a Wharton senior studying finance and business economics & public policy from Harrisburg, Pa. He served as business manager on the 140th Board of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. Previously, he served as finance manager. His email is zainq@wharton.upenn.edu.
