Throughout his campaign and presidency, President Trump has called the media “fake news” and invited his followers to do the same. On a visit to KC this past summer, he pointed to reporters and called them “the enemy of the people.”

But we are not the enemy.

In the past, our staff has sought the truth in our stories, and this year will be no different. We’ve covered all kinds of stories from an unbiased perspective, from stories about vaping, to mental health, to student deaths and even to our president’s first year. While we grieved with our Northwest peers over lost students, we also reached out to the parents of those students and gave them an outlet to share their stories and the stories of their kids. No matter the controversy or political connotations a story may have, we’ve done our best to have accurate reporting.

When we make mistakes, we address them as quickly as possible, while owning up to them.

This year, our staff is comprised mostly of underclassmen, meaning we’re eager to try new things and cover topics we never have before. We want to push our limits to become the best we can be, all by looking to find the truth behind every story.

We look forward to serving you during the 2018-2019 school year and beyond. Whether you’re a BVNW student, parent, staff member, alumnus or an outsider, our journalism will serve you.

As student journalists, we owe it to our community to expose the truth, even if it’s something some people want us to back away from because it’s unpopular or uncomfortable. It’s not our job to cushion our reader’s predisposed beliefs, but instead to truthfully inform the Northwest community on pertinent issues of our community. It may shock. It may create discomfort. But we are not the enemy.