WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY SOUTHEND NEWSPAPER NEW ENEGRY NEW ERA 

COM 6190 REPORTING!

The Wayne State University newspaper known as the South End has gone through many different evolutions. Starting out as the Detroit Collegian, officially changing to the South End in 1967.

Under the leadership of John Watson, Watson became the editor in 1968. The focus of the South End changed from a local domestic paper to a publication that focused on civil rights, race, and class, focusing on African American and Jewish relations issues such as unionization coming from the socialist political perspective, as well as international issues like the Arab-Israeli War in 1973.

The current leadership of the South End is still defining the current focus in 2025 going forward. Having met two exceptional young talented writers, Crisstia Bowden, the new managing editor, and Johnathan Shephard, the new multimedia editor. This is a turning point in the South End’s recent history. Gen Z is an outspoken group; whatever one over thirty wants to know is to find out if Gen Z has in-depth political knowledge and leanings.

Does Gen Z have the intelligence and ability to set an agenda in motion? The event that shaped the Gen Z generation is Oct 7th, 2023; the current political landscape is still feeling the effects of this world-changing event. Not since 9/11, Sept. 11, 2001, has an event been so politicized. With every opinion ranging from pro to anti, Oct 7th is the case study that will test the psychology and sociology of democracy, with the winner inheriting power.

With so many unanswered questions, it will be interesting seeing these two exceptional young people use their current platform to shape the narrative around WSU and the world.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Lyf_QlDn9tA

Writer DeShean M. McClinton WSU BJ 2026