Last week, a few of my peers and I had the privilege of visiting UNC Chapel Hill. Not only did we visit the beautiful campus of this University, but we also had the opportunity to visit the independent student-led newspaper just across the street. This newspaper is called The Daily Tar Heel. It is financially and editorially independent from the University. That being said, many staff of the newspaper are students that attend UNC Chapel Hill. Within The Daily Tar Heel, there are many different committees that write about all different types of interesting subjects. There are students devoted to writing sports stories, student life on campus, local news, and so much more. They also have a media committee. They do the fun things, like make Tik Tok videos and Instagram posts to promote The Daily Tar Heel online. The Daily Tar Heel was not always independent from the University. Founded on February 23, 1893, it did not become its own entity until 1989.

Since then it has been running all on its own! There are many amazing people that keep this foundation so great. From what I saw, The Daily Tar Heel is an outstanding example of what a working newspaper should look like. It has hardworking, devoted staff that make it such a positive environment. I enjoyed my visit here thoroughly. I also thoroughly enjoyed the complimentary newspaper issue that was given to me during my visit!

With a beautiful campus, pristine media technology, and engaging classes, it could definitely be said that Chapel Hill University is the place for students who aspire to become journalists. The Hussman School of Journalism and Media has a student-led program dedicated to publishing live new reports weekly. They recently upgraded their technology and media rooms to be at the highest standard possible; even the local new station is not as advanced. Additionally, there are classes such as Journalism Law taught by Dr. Amanda Reid who gives an engaging lesson about media law. Lastly, students can join and write for the Daily Tar Heel. Although this paper is not funded or organized by the school it is a great way to obtain the exposure students need for their future profession. In conclusion, Chapel Hill is the place for up and coming journalists to gain the knowledge and experience needed for their occupation. 

After a long day touring Chapel Hill’s campus and seeing how journalism is present there, right around the corner was Franklin Street. As soon as we rounded the corner and entered the street it was filled. There were college students everywhere and it was evident that this was the place where people went when out of classes and working on assignments. They had multiple coffee shops and a variety of places to sit down. Through the windows you could see laptops covering the faces of students typing away with their earbuds in. Overall, when we toured the campus we learned that Franklin Street is a big part of Chapel Hill’s students' lifestyle. While walking down the different alleyways it was like a look into our future as college students. 

Chapel Hill was a beautiful place to go on a field trip with all my friends. Seeing the way the campus is built, going to different parts of the campus and even going into a class and learning about Media Law and getting the vibes of what a college student had to experience on a daily basis. Being in a class, then learning about how the school brings media to college students, and even seeing how everything works there, proves how passionate the school is with their media and it inspires me so much to put that much effort into the media as they did. Even going downtown and getting lunch, we got to see how college students thrive everyday, going to places and buying school merchandise, and even getting lunch with friends or even studying. The area itself and the environment thrived with what a college student experiences. 

I think that the journalism unit at Chapel Hill was exciting and innovative. During our trip, we were able to learn about how they operate different parts of the school. Looking at how they run their television and how they take care of the classes. I think that it is very interesting to observe and learn not only about what they do but how passionate the staff are. It was very fun being able to learn about the history of their institution and how they work. It was a very fun experience overall, learning about how to write better will always be something beneficial and helpful to me. 

On March 6, 2025, the Honors Journalism class attended a field trip to the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill and learned about the journalism aspects there. 

On campus, we attended a Media Law Class taught by Dr. Amanda Reid. Even though we were attendees, she treated us as if we were some of her students. Her enthusiastic demeanor contributed to her topics that shed light on how to be a proper journalist. 

Throughout the lecture, she conveyed how to detect true falsity and actual malice through several detailed examples of media that students of her own conversed about. 

While journalism is fun, as it involves gathering information from lots of different sources, it is essential to respect the law and avoid uncomfortable conflicts. While presenting the cases, she always asked the room, including all of us, what do you think? Some professors haven’t always chimed in for feedback from students; however, she did. 

Her knowledge of journalistic ethics demonstrated her eloquence. The impact of her teachings reflected in her students’ answers; they replied with professional vocabulary relative to each real-world example. Although the class was cut short, due to having a tour of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, we greatly appreciated her effort to teach people unknown to her something useful to discuss. 

Dr. Amanda Reid was a role model, to look up to for a work field in journalism. When we walked in, we were late but she went along and continued. Her class was an amazing experience to look back on! We all learned something to take away and use now when writing stories for The Firebird Times. The Media Law Class seemed interesting, but it was something definitely to appraise!