In December of 1946, the El Camino College News was created at a local high school since EC had to be finished being built.

The passing months would go on to reveal a brand new campus and name change to the newspaper (The Warwhoop).

Now, known as The Union, the philosophy has remained the same. This is a student-run newspaper.

Despite having faculty advisers, they have no hand in making editorial decisions or affecting our news product other than when we ask for suggestions.

And after 72 years, The Union continues to produce coverage of the EC community through the newspaper and eccunion.com.

However, there are rumors going around that we are “gotcha” reporters.

As reporters and editors for The Union, we have criteria to meet every semester. That means we must meet guidelines, deadlines and receive a letter grade at the end of the semester just like any other academic program.

If we do not meet the criteria, we fail the class. Although it sounds simple, I feel the need to reiterate this notion because we are not seen as an academic program by everyone.

For that reason, we are often turned away when we are looking for sources and information from people on campus, including faculty and staff.

It may seem like we’re out to get you and that’s understandable because of our nation’s political climate.

Donald Trump’s constant attempts to discredit the media affects us on the college level.

His long tirades regarding every article written about him, labeling them as “fake news,” have given the green light for others to treat the media in a similar manner or for anyone to try to discredit content that doesn’t appeal to them.

It has become harder for people to see their name in the newspaper, so exposed to the world.

But we keep it simple—our goal is to keep you informed.

We at The Union are not out to “get” anyone. We are here to document everything that happens at EC.

Whether it is good or bad news, we need to document it.

I’ve heard critics say we publish “too much crime” on our newspaper—I want you to remember that these stories are published for the community.

We want you to know if someone was robbed in a parking lot just as much as we want you to know that the Associated Student Organization is now responsible for the $450,000-plus budget used to fund student organizations and clubs.

The Union needs the help of sources to make our stories as accurate as possible. We have big plans and even bigger stories this semester and we are looking forward to sharing them with all of you.

With the help of the EC community, we can’t fail. So take a step with us to tell important community stories. And it’s for a simple reason—because they matter.