Editor's note: At last night's Post alumni 100-year reunion in Washington, D.C., Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown commemorated the centennial of Ohio University's independent student paper. The commemoration is now in the Congressional Record.
Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I rise to commemorate the centennial of the Post, an independent, student-run newspaper at Ohio University in Athens, OH.
Finley Peter Dunne once noted that ``the newspaper ..... comforts the afflicted, and afflicts the comfortable.'' Newspapers also connect concerned citizens with their elected officials by providing a venue for valuable discussion on issues that affect our lives and communities. It is no secret that a free press is critical to strengthening and preserving our democracy.
For 100 years, students at Ohio University have celebrated their first amendment rights by creating a newspaper that informs residents, students, and business leaders in Athens County about vital news on campus, around Ohio, and throughout the world.
When students are encouraged to present structured, well-written views in writing, they are given the opportunity to develop life-long skills that will serve them as citizens--and leaders--of our enduring American institutions.
Ohio University has produced many first-class journalists, including thirteen Pulitzer Prize winners and reporters and columnists whose bylines and photographs appear in our Nation's leading newspapers. I regularly witness the fine reporting of several Post alumni, including Columbus Dispatch senior editor Joe Hallett and Washington correspondent Jessica Wehrman, among others.
As the tools and resources of journalism evolve, the Post continues to respond to a changing world. Whether students read the news on a handheld device or hold newsprint in their hands, Ohio University students can expect to hear from an independent voice on campus and in Athens.
Throughout the next century, the Post will undoubtedly continue to play a critical role in training student-journalists to shape and inform Ohio University. As we mark this milestone, it is my privilege to salute the students who work to keep this publication alive while fully participating in our first amendment freedoms. As the proud husband of a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, Connie Schultz, I have immense respect for journalists and the role they play in the public sphere. Improving our democracy starts with papers like the Post, that are willing to cultivate America's next generation of journalists.
