This is the column I never wanted to write.
At the end of the day — I’ll be cleaning out my desk, turning off my “Ohio University” Google Alert and forever stashing a time capsule of public records in newsroom desk drawers for some unsuspecting freshman reporter to unearth years from now.
In four years at The Post, I’ve watched some of the best student reporters in the country produce some of the country’s best journalism. When I think back to my time at OU, the bulk of my best memories center around a windowless newsroom inconspicuously tucked in the corner of the third floor of Baker.
If my nostalgic haze has revealed one unwavering truth, it’s that the most significant moments in my four years in this newsroom have not been the stories we’ve broken.
The ultimate irony of the news business — an industry obsessed with getting it right — is that best lessons are learned from the worst mistakes.
The shortcomings, not the triumphs, serve as the best teachers.
I’ve certainly made more than my fair share. I’ve misquoted deans, misspelled names, and misread numbers. As an editor, I’ve inserted errors into articles, signed off on stupid headlines and picked stupid fights on social media.
The opportunity to make those mistakes was the most valuable experience in Athens, and underscores the importance of student media — a training ground for the next generation of industry movers and shakers.
To the editors who’ve asked me hard questions, torn apart my poorly-written drafts, coped with my propensity to misspell, kept my ego in check (kind of) and gave me the opportunity to screw things up, in print, since my first day on campus — thank you.
And to the staff members coming back next year: keep making mistakes.
Wesley Lowery is a senior studying journalism and, for one more day, editor-in-chief of The Post. Make his last day memorable and email him
at wl372808@ohiou.edu.
