Letter from the editor: Reflecting on almost 4 years of growth in The Signal

By Matthew Kaufman | Dec. 5

When I turned in my first article, I had no idea what my future in The Signal would look like. I couldn’t see myself leading the whole organization the way the top editors at the time did, and I wasn’t sure I had what it took to produce the hard-hitting news stories that the paper needed. But in the semesters that followed, I became more confident in my writing abilities and set my sights on moving up the ranks.

The Signal urges the Senate to pass The PRESS Act as soon as possible before its term ends in January (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / Martin Falbisoner, Sept. 5, 2013).

The Senate should pass the PRESS Act to protect journalists across the country

By Tristan Weisenbach | Nov. 15

(Photo courtesy of Flickr / “Fake News - Scrabble Tiles” by Journolink Journolink. April 4, 2019)

Avoid misinformation: The importance of fact-checking election content

By Ally Uhlendorf | Oct. 17

The College's Career Fair does not cater to ArtsComm students (Photo by Elizabeth Gladstone / Multimedia Coordinator).

The Career Fair underserved ArtsComm students

By Tristan Weisenbach | Oct. 3

It’s essential for college students to make their voices heard by voting in the upcoming election (Photo courtesy of Flickr / “Vote!” by kgroovy / Feb. 5, 2008).

Make your voice heard by voting this November

By Isabella Darcy and Matthew Kaufman | Sep. 19

My time at The Signal shaped me into the person I am today. (Graphic by Sky Stewart)

Letter from the editor: Time to say goodbye

By Victoria Gladstone | May. 3

The LIONS initiative, from the time it was announced in December through today, has little concrete substance behind it. (Graphic by Liam Simonelli)

Bernstein’s LIONS plan creates confusion and worry, not reassurance, amidst TCNJ financial trouble

By Tristan Weisenbach | Jan. 31

The LIONS initiative, from the time it was announced in December through today, has little concrete substance behind it.

As my time ends at The Signal, I look back at the work I have done with rose tinted glasses, but in reality this change is needed in my life (Photo courtesy of Skylar Stewart / Graphic Designer).

Letter from the Editor: A bittersweet goodbye

By Mike Sherr | Dec. 2, 2023

I am not entirely sure how I came to lead this paper. Unlike many of the people I work with, I am not a journalism major nor have I ever taken a journalism class (and it shows sometimes). I never saw journalism as a career path for me and I still don’t; the only reason I joined The Signal was so that I had something to do during my fully online, first semester in 2020. Because of that random decision freshman year, I have been lucky enough to somehow fall upward into this leadership position that has forever changed my life. I have personally grown into someone my freshman self could never recognize. Not only have I found the confidence to be in such a leadership position, but I found my voice to speak up for what is right.

We can revitalize local news by strengthening student media

By Victoria Gladstone and Matthew Kaufman | Oct. 6, 2023

With each passing year, more and more local media outlets are shuttering their doors, leaving communities without a trustworthy source of news. Student media can fill that void and begin a new wave of journalism.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez’s, D-NJ, indictment is not the first political embarrassment New Jersey has faced, and it likely will not be the last (Photo courtesy of Flickr / “190204-Z-AL508-1191” by the New Jersey National Guard. February 5, 2019).

NJ politics has a long history of corruption, and ignoring it is hypocritical and embarrassing

By Mike Sherr | Sep. 25, 2023

As a political science major, I have learned a lot about civics, the role of government and the importance of independent election agencies. I could confidently say I am rather educated on politics and the American political system. I therefore can not stay quiet about the continuous, embarrassing circus that is New Jersey politics.

Our newspaper is a part of the institutional history of the College starting out as a small literary publication and turning into a legitimate news organization.

Reclaiming 138 years of our newspaper

By Mike Sherr | Sep. 8, 2023

In December 1885, students at the New Jersey State Normal School published the first edition of this publication. The editorial board of that long ago version of The Signal dedicated the organization to “all rights and the highest interests of those whom we would represent.” Basically a fancy way of saying students. Those editors also wanted the publication to be thought of “as a Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance,” which is a reference to Don Quixote apparently. I never read the book so the reference is wasted on me but the words sound pretty which is good enough.

It is clear that the use of AI is dangerous in journalism too, as it can allow media outlets to slightly reword an original story by someone else and claim it as their own (Photo courtesy of Flickr / Wall Boat, Aug. 15, 2017).

AI use in the media sets a dangerous precedent

By Tristan Weisenbach | Aug. 6, 2023

The increasing reliance on AI tools throughout various industries has created many new challenges and unexpected effects.

(Photo courtesy of Flickr / Firesam!, December 8, 2010)

Imposter syndrome is real — you’re not alone

By Chelsie Derman | May. 1, 2023

Sometimes, as the editor-in-chief, I feel like a fraud. It may be approaching the end of the semester, and I have spent over fourteen weeks in my role, but I still can’t help but feel like a fraud when I enter The Signal office and lead our weekly editorial and admin meetings. Even when we all sit around the big, round table in Forcina, and I go around the room, asking every editor about their weekly stories, I can’t help but feel a little bit out-of-place leading the meetings. I still feel the frustrating lasting effects of imposter syndrome, which is a phenomenon that describes feeling inadequate in your role despite your achievements.

Letter from the editor: saying goodbye to the Signal

By Ian Krietzberg | May. 2, 2022

It is exceptionally hard to believe that, after nearly three years at The Signal, my time at this organization is at an end. The prospect of graduation is, to me, not nearly as strange as the prospect of no longer being a part of this newspaper.

The Signal's Relaunch

By Signal Editorial Staff | Nov. 15, 2021

This semester has been a tumultuous one for us. Not long after beginning this semester, our website ran into a series of crippling problems, beginning with hosting issues and ending with brute-force malware attacks that crippled our only platform for publication.