As the official student-run newspaper of Edina High School, Zephyrus’ role is to inform our classmates and the broader community about relevant current events. While the world grapples with the ongoing impacts of the Israel-Hamas war, our priority is to report accurately, thoughtfully, and respectfully on what’s taking place and how people feel at EHS and beyond.
We are not a political body. Our reporting is intended to inform rather than persuade. Opinions represent the beliefs of individual staff members, editorials represent the views of our editorial board, and our news and features articles present no arguments, simply factual information and quotes.
Zephyrus is constantly striving to keep our readers updated. We recently covered the protest at the Dec. 11 school board meeting and the student walk-outs in support of Palestine, which wasn’t published until after the second walk-out due to the complex nature of reporting on a protest. This reporting is not equivalent to “choosing a side.” Coverage is not concurrence. We report because we believe every person has the right to know what’s happening in their community.
Sharing the thoughts and actions of community members isn’t assent. It is information. By choosing not to cover an event impactful to the community, we do our readers a disservice. Our job is to provide adequate background for our readers to reach their own conclusions, not to predetermine what stance they should hold or what they should feel.
As we state in the “About” section of the Edina Zephyrus website, “we will never be biased towards or against specific backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, affluence, religions, etc.” Zephyrus has published a variety of content highlighting the minority experience at Edina. All Zephyrus staff members are EHS students, too. Our unique perspective allows us to witness firsthand how our classmates are impacted by events like the Israel-Hamas war. We strive to accurately portray the experience of our fellow students to promote a more understanding and informed student body and community.
In the past, we’ve covered the Jewish experience at EHS, efforts to fight prejudice within Edina, and more. When a racist and antisemitic video surfaced in early 2022, Zephyrus provided thoughtful coverage with input from many different students who were impacted. We have the same goal in our reporting on the Israel-Hamas war and its ramifications: to highlight the multifaceted experience of members of our community, and to recognize the pain they’ve experienced and continue to endure.
Currently, our staff is working on a variety of articles to present multiple perspectives and relevant information. We are writing about the impacts of the suspended school board meeting, which had several major items on its agenda including presentations on taxation and 2024-25 curriculum review. We’re also reporting on the experience of Jewish community members. We plan to publish continuous coverage as new developments occur and we hope to feature students willing to share their perspectives on the Israel-Hamas war and its consequences both near and far.
We want to serve EHS while remaining true to the core tenets we emphasize every school year: to be responsible, fair, honest, accurate, independent, accountable, and to minimize harm. We value and are always open to the input of community members in order to accurately portray our diverse experiences. Thus, we welcome our readers to connect with us through comments, emails, and Letters to the Editor. We look forward to engaging with our community and continuing to report in the interest of informing our readers.
This piece represents the majority opinion of the Editorial Board of Zephyrus, 10-0. 10 voting-eligible members of Zephyrus compose the Board. No more than three members of the Editorial Board may dissent from a published editorial. If more than three members dissent, the editorial may not be published. Dissenters are entitled but not required to explain the reason(s) for their dissent at the end of the editorial. Editorial writers are not involved in any news reporting on related topics.
