Life Beyond The Classroom: The Morningside Post

The Office of Admissions and Financial Aid is pleased to share our new series, "Life Beyond The Classroom", featuring SIPA campus student organizations. SIPA Office of Student Affairs (OSA) supports and facilitates co-curricular activities and opportunities.

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The Morningside Post (TMP) is SIPA’s leading independent news and opinion publication. The mission of TMP is to elevate firsthand perspectives and stories from the Columbia SIPA community and beyond. Established in 2004, TMP features fresh and forward-thinking perspectives from rising global leaders on the world’s most pressing issues. TMP articles have caught the attention of The Guardian, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Foreign Relations, Radio Free Europe, Voice of America, and Global Voices Online.

Why did you join your student organization? I joined The Morningside Post out of a deep appreciation and respect for journalism. As public debates over fact and fiction have intensified these past several years, the vital role of a free and independent press in defending democracy and human rights has only grown. Especially at a policy school, a shared platform for vibrant discussion and debate is essential to discovering fresh perspectives, proposing solutions to global issues, and holding powerful institutions and individuals accountable.

What types of events does your organization host throughout the year? Are there any annual events? Since we are a newspaper, we focus primarily on publishing stories, but we do moderate the debate among SIPASA presidential candidates in the fall.

How has your experience being a part of your organization complemented other academic or professional coursework/opportunities, and prepared you for a world post-SIPA? Leading The Morningside Post has definitely been a major highlight of my SIPA experience. I have had the opportunity to lead and manage a talented team of editors and writers with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives, and we have come together to navigate difficult editorial decisions about what is best fit for publication and how to constructively contribute to contentious debates. Everyone on our team brings a valuable viewpoint to the table, and every story is an opportunity to learn something new or to see the world from the eyes of another SIPA or Columbia community member.

What is the day-to-day like maintaining a leadership position within your organization? Since we are SIPA’s only independent newspaper, our day-to-day involves keeping a pulse of what is happening and being discussed around campus, in order to guide the stories we pursue and the editorial approach we take to reviewing submissions. Among the editors, we meet on a weekly basis to discuss and solicit pitches, and we work with writers to structure their stories, refine their arguments, and ensure that their claims are supported by credible sources.

What has been your personal favorite memory with your organization? One of the most gratifying memories was watching our team collectively spring into action to cover a rally organized by SIPA students the very day that Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year. It was a chilly, overcast day at around 30 degrees Fahrenheit — close to zero degrees Celsius — but covering the story was entirely a group effort, with different team members contributing elements ranging from student quotes and reactions to photos of the rally itself. We also published a sobering collection of student and alumni reactions to the horrific invasion, which very much exemplified the idea of journalism as a first draft of history, as many writers have affirmed over the years.

How can prospective students learn more about this organization?  Subscribe to our newsletter by joining our group through CampusGroups, visit our website (morningsidepost.com), and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn! 

What’s next for your organization? What can we anticipate to see? We’ll stay coy on this one to avoid scooping our upcoming stories, but one of our topics this fall will be a survey of SIPASA candidates running for 2023 leadership roles on behalf of the student body. Follow us on social media for the latest! Anything else you’d like to add? We encourage anyone to pitch or submit a piece to us! No previous publishing experience is required, and international students are encouraged to submit as well. Writers do not have to be native English speakers, and we are open to submissions in other languages. We also encourage working with Columbia’s Writing Center for additional feedback and advice.

Thank you to Ryan Lee, The Morningside Post, for your interview! For more information about all the student organizations at SIPA, please visit this link.