Campus Newspaper Debuts at KIMEP

Welcome to the KIMEP Voice.

Today, we released the print version The KIMEP Voice, Volume 1, Issue 1.

Volume 1, Issue 2 will arrive in a month. That might look a little different and have a few more pages, but that’s only because we’re going to continually refine our product. Part of the university experience is to try new things, experiment with ideas, explore better ways to communicate, and let people find their voice.

The original idea behind the KIMEP Voice holds fast: Create a campus newspaper. Hold up a mirror to the community and write that first draft of the history of KIMEP University. We want reporters to cover events. We want to interview and showcase all of the people contributing to the KIMEP experience. We want to cover the issues important to the people within the KIMEP community.

The vision of news

It is not merely our vision but that of many people on campus from university President Dr. Chan Young Bang and Provost and Deputy to the President Dr. Timothy Barnett to all of the people in purchasing and IT who helped get the necessary equipment, installed it, and got it operating.

The president’s office has played an integral role in helping create what you’re holding in your hand right now. And that’s not to overlook the students who have contributed to this first issue.

This endeavor has been carried by many people who have played a role in seeing it come to life.
Having worked in news for more than 20 years, I fully expect us to undergo a few growing pains. We’re going to publish great stories and not so great stories. We will try things that work and things that don’t. But all of the stories will uphold and maintain the highest journalistic standards. That is not debatable.

Part of KIMEP

A good news organization requires a receptive community. We cannot read minds. If your event is not listed on the calendar and you did not notify us, that’s probably the reason why. And no one is required to speak to us, though we will give everyone the opportunity. Surprise interviews and gotcha stories are the things of television shows and movies, not actual journalism.

The KIMEP Voice is not part of the marketing team, but it is not an advisory of all of the good things happening at the university. In fact, we plan on working closely with as many departments, offices and organizations as we can.

The KIMEP Voice is part of this community, not merely an observer of it.

From the beginning, the KIMEP Voice was designed to be editorially independent of the administration, meaning no one other than the staff at the paper reads stories before they are published. We will promote the university through our independence and coverage.

Journalism first

This news organization is run through the journalism department in the College of Social Sciences. It is not a club with immediate acceptance or a group of students who want to write opinion pieces. It is a serious journalism organization run by a former journalist who understands how important good journalism is to society.

Our job is to fairly and accurately report on what is happening at KIMEP and in Almaty.

As a campus newspaper, the KIMEP Voice also intends to provide students insight into news creation and news production. It was created to give all students (you don’t have to be a CSS student to work at the KIMEP Voice) a true news organization experience.

There will be deadlines, editing, revising, photography, design, and social media production (please, like, share, and subscribe). Pressure is part of the process — and it will be managed and manageable.

Earning trust

I know from experience; students will also feel the adrenaline rush of creating and publishing news. Getting the perfect picture. Finding the exact phrase that describes an event. Hearing a perfect quote that you know exactly where it will go in the story. Seeing your first byline. Having someone tell you they read your story and liked it.

I understand that the KIMEP Voice can only become vital if people reading it trust it and know it provides truthful information. I can promise we will always be truthful, transparent and fair. We won’t ask for your trust, we will earn it.