Being a reporter at a large news organization is analogous to being on the front line in a battle. Reporters are not like generals barking out orders; instead, they are the ones carrying out the orders from editors.

Don’t get me wrong, though – reporters still have a large degree of freedom in decision making and this is for a reason. Most reporters at the Star are expected to enterprise their own story ideas, which means they conceptualize the story from an idea into a printed piece.

Often, readers are convinced there exists certain biases in a newsroom and that it stems from reporters – the ones enterprising these very stories. These biases could take many forms, but most commonly include partisan politics or discrimination toward certain organizations on campus.

I wanted to investigate these rumors, so I conducted an unscientific survey of Star reporters to find out what really motivates them to write and enterprise their pieces.

Staffers were given options from which to choose, including, but not limited to: being first with new facts or fresh insights, pursuing stories that have impact, winning prizes, impressing sources, figuring out what’s really happening, telling stories in a compelling way and getting on the front page.

It is, however, important to note a few things – first, this list is not exhaustive of all reasons reporters may be motivated to gather the news. Second, I only included reporters in the sample, not editors, because those positions sometimes tend to become bogged down with administrative duties and other matters that may arise.

Two of the most common answers encouraged me greatly. Somewhat synonymous, they included pursuing stories that have impact and figuring out what’s really happening.

I think all reporters at the Star want to write articles that get noticed and discussed around campus. But I also think there are some who want to continue to progress their budding concepts of journalism by uncovering articles that ultimately bring about beneficial change on campus or in the community.

We’ve seen several examples of that this semester, including increased voter turnout in the Student Association executive elections and promoting repairs to the Pleasant St. Art Annex.

The editorial board also has undertaken this mission to a degree by writing Gov. Blagojevich to ask for more funding to improve the Stevens Building.

Reporters that want to excel at this concept also embrace an ideal I’ve talked about at length – holding those in power accountable.

“A journalist is supposed to be a check on government and a voice for the voiceless,” one reporter told me. “There is nothing more satisfying than giving a voice to someone and seeing changes made because of it.”

This concept, of course, works both ways – one reporter may spend months working on a story about misuse of funds while another could spend an equal amount of time trying to prove a convicted person innocent.

Another common motivation of reporters is a drive to satisfy their natural curiosity for getting to the bottom of a complicated situation and shedding light on it for readers.

“I love to learn new things, and taking a story I know nothing about is always fun, [in order to] find out information and interesting facts,” another reporter said.

Still another elaborated: “I feel that it is my job to make sure the students know what is happening around campus. Articles should be able to connect to the readers’ lives and have some importance.”

Considering these findings, I’m confident that Star staffers are motivated for the right reasons. Although college media is traditionally slanted left, I found no evidence of political bias or any hidden agenda toward a campus organization.

I also think it’s encouraging that, although we are all journalists in training so to speak, we are learning the right things to be motivated for. These skills and passions can only sharpen as time progresses.