From Fact-Checker to Co-Editor-in-Chief
I joined Ethos Magazine towards the end of 2022 as a fact-checker, and it was the first time I worked for an independent publication. What drew me to Ethos was the magazine's style and mission: Each issue is filled with long-form, human-centric stories that feature marginalized voices. Ethos prides itself on extensive reporting, incorporating more artistic writing styles and believes that journalism can and should be a form of activism, all of which I believe myself.
After fact-checking for two cycles, I knew I wanted to write, so I picked my favorite topic at the time — wildfire. At that point, I just finished a course on the sociology of wildfire and joined the Student Fire Alliance, a club for fire-lovers on campus. In that club, I learned about the FireGeneration Collaborative, an initiative to engender more youth representation in wildfire policymaking. Read the story on Ethos's website or down below.
A few cycles later, I got promoted to associate editor and then to the co-editor-in-cheif. In both positions, I provided support to three or four writers per cycle, working closely with each to shape their story, build a narrative and catch errors across four drafts. I also built our production schedule, led meetings and facilitated communication among other members of the story team, like photographers, designers and illustrators, to ensure that all the visual elements added a new dimension to the story.
Since the magazine is entirely student-run, editing is truly a multidirectional process — writers learn from editors, and vice versa — rooted in collaboration. The stories I've edited range from the impacts of university expansion, to corporate-caused environmental injustice, to unionization efforts by local strippers. In my last cycle as co-EIC, I wrote a story about Long COVID, a new obsession motivated by my sister. I explored how Oregonians with Long COVID are turning to alternative pathways of care, like online support groups, instead of doctors due to medical uncertainty and, in some cases, gaslighting. Read the story on Ethos's website or down below.