My two years spent at the Northern Star have shown me the importance of watchdog news.

With two semesters as managing editor under my belt, I’ve had the opportunity to see the inner workings of the Star, NIU and Illinois higher education. I’ve been able to feel the effects of the state’s budget impasse not only as a student but as an employee of some sort as well.

I have realized the importance of having a student newspaper. Universities are not in the business of telling whole truths; universities are in the business of attracting prospective students and retaining current students.

Without a student newspaper, there is no outlet dedicated to acting as a watchdog of administration.

The Northern Star remains the only student-run newspaper in Illinois that does not receive funding from the institution it reports on. I’ve worn that as a badge of honor for the past two years. It means the Northern Star does not have to fear a loss of funding because administration disapproves of our content.

The budget impasse has affected the entire university and with that comes the Star. A drop in enrollment leads to a drop in advertising which then leads to a loss in revenue at the newspaper.

The financial future of the Northern Star looks murky. That is why I am using my final column to urge students to reassess the importance they place upon the news they receive. Where did it come from? What was the writer’s motivation for writing it? Who influenced it?

So please, pick up a Northern Star and learn something about the university you never knew.