According to my calculations, the majority of you are ushering in the first day of classes tomorrow — so let’s talk about the universal key to journalistic success. 

On Friday night, I walked down to a small farmers market in my neighborhood. Amid the peaches and heirloom tomatoes, a delicious, savory smell emanated from a small food stand that advertised “käsekrainer” and $5 opera.

My curiosity about the scent and signage led me to Patrick (above), who told me he’d studied opera in grad school in Vienna. There, the käsekrainer (a cheesy sausage stuffed into a baguette) is a popular street food, often consumed late at night by the post-opera crowd that gathers to munch and discuss what they saw.

He missed that European food and the tradition, so being an L.A. wiener slinger is his side hustle now. That, and singing opera for tips. My $5 got me a Beethoven solo and got him a spirited round of applause from everyone at the market. 

Tomorrow, when you’re standing in front of those shiny new faces, remind them that a sense of curiosity is the one common element of every successful journalist. 

Reinforce your pride in your students’ ability to ask questions, confront fears, overcome awkwardness, face anxiety, scratch mental itches and embrace the unknown.

It will get them better stories, a winning portfolio, a job — and maybe even a life sprinkled with unexpected lessons, artistic experiences and new friends.

Or maybe just a fancy hot dog and an unusual song.

Headlines

The Princeton Review’s annual survey includes a ranking of the best college newspapers. Did yours make the cut?

Here’s advice for students who land one of those 15-minutes-with-a-celebrity calls.

A couple of “kids these days” pieces: College Students Have Already Changed Forever | Members of the class of 2026 have had access to AI since they were freshmen. Almost all of them are using it to do their work (The Atlantic) and These 8 Gen Z habits are baffling. Let us Zoomers explain (Washington Post)

I love this column from Emory student journalist Madeline Shapiro that essentially asks, Why are we excited about a spinoff of "The Office" that could potentially make journalism's struggles the butt of the jokes?

Another smart take, this one from Alana Parker at American University: “Opinion: Trump’s attack on the media is teaching student journalists to bow to authoritarianism.”

The editor of Oklahoma Voice expresses her displeasure at the state’s third-largest public university cutting the print edition of its student paper, especially amid objections from faculty and students. 

Related: “Less than a year after dismantling its student newspaper staff, the University of Texas at Dallas has recently taken yet another hostile step toward limiting the media available to its students. Just in time for the fall semester, UT Dallas has banned newsstands.” (Dallas Observer)

The Trump administration says it has revoked 6,000 student visas. Here’s how international students are handling the massive challenges presented by studying in America.

Classroom/newsroom ideas

Talk to your students about how they might respond if a source hands them a bag of cash. 

This week, WIRED and Business Insider were tasked with the embarrassment of having to explain and take down fake stories. If these pros had a hard time spotting them, it’s worth a discussion with your newsroom students about how they’ll protect themselves against made-up, AI-generated stories.

Here are three stories from Open Campus that could be used as background in reporting about federal cuts to student aid for undocumented students: Colorado, Texas and Ohio.

The pro files

Just an incredible piece from a New York Times photographer revisiting the spot in Afghanistan where a land mine blew his legs up 15 years earlier.

The incomparable Steve Hartman with a passion project: the bedrooms of young people killed in school shootings.

Student media standouts

Look how fun the Pepperdine Graphic’s editorial board intro is!

Great work by The Daily Tar Heel at UNC to examine who controls our nation’s universities.

Steal this for back to school! “The (Daily) Texan (at the University of Texas) asked upperclassmen around campus for secret hacks or tips they wish they knew about UT or college sooner.”

Feedback

I’m dreading doing this, but The Paywall is making a comeback next week. 

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I’m also always up to hear from my readers! Book a free 30-minute consultation  or email me at [email protected] anytime. 

Have a great week and good luck out there!