Storytelling has always proven itself paramount to humanity.

Whether in the form of written stories or photo and video, storytelling has evolved through different mediums, each one playing a vital role in shaping history.

Through this evolution, humanity has always been curious about our neighbors and our community, and curiosity is what drives people toward the truth.

In pursuit of truth, journalism was born.

We believe in the power of good journalism, and we want to play whatever role we can in search of the truth. Thus, we created The Watchdog.

The Watchdog is a news publication based in Lexington, Kentucky led by student journalists. Despite being students, we are independent of the universities we attend.

Through our experiences in various newsrooms, every member of our staff has brought a piece of their journey back to Lexington to form The Watchdog.

We have students writing, creating photos and recording videos to deliver our audience the most accurate information in a timely manner. We have designers collaborating on illustrations to create visuals just for you.

We are journalists before we are students. We are not planning on stopping during school breaks. News does not stop, so neither will we.

We will follow our audience to ensure the most representative coverage of the Commonwealth. We will hear all of the stories and what interests Kentuckians. Beyond that, we will listen to our audience.

You are our audience.

By this point in the letter, you might be asking yourself why we are doing this. The answer is simple: there is nothing we love or believe in more than journalism.

The Watchdog newsroom is here to serve the people and uphold journalistic integrity. We are here to hold people in power accountable, to serve you and report on what matters to the people, because the people are what matters most.

Under the First Amendment of the Constitution, freedom of the press is a right guaranteed to the American people. It is our job to exercise that right for the people, ourselves, journalism and our democracy.

At a time when journalists are being censored, we believe now is the time to foster free speech and community togetherness more than ever.

We vow to honor the pillars of journalism and ensure transparency with our audience. Transparency is the backbone of how our newsroom will operate, with each and every one of us promising to be open about the information we know, how we know it and why it is important.

In doing this, we also vow not only to hold those in power accountable, but ourselves. As journalists, we will put our opinions aside and remain unbiased and neutral in our reporting, providing you with nothing but the truth.

We will not be putting out news just for the sake of it. Instead, we will be taking the time to properly tell people’s stories. We care about our community, and we want that to be clear in the work we produce.

We plan to publish our work here, on our website, as well as on our social media platforms. You can find shortcuts to the official Watchdog News social media at the top right corner of your screen.

We are so excited to get things started at The Watchdog. Whether it is told through writing, photo or video, we are truly grateful for the opportunity we have to give a voice to the voiceless and tell your story.

Ever since we can remember, we have fought for the truth. Now, we intend to fight for you as well.

We are your eyes, and we will not blink.

Sincerely,

The Watchdog editors