[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15661]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    OHIO UNIVERSITY POST CENTENNIAL

 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.

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