To the Editor,

As a magazine editor, writer, and publisher for over 30 years, I’ve been reading with great interest about the departure of your fine editors, Rachel Pastan and Satya Nelms.

They brought a lively, provocative style to The Swarthmorean that I looked forward to each week. They brought topics to light that would otherwise get pushed aside, and I’m grateful for that.

Conversely, having worked in all aspects of this business, I’m also aware that the publishers have a right to create revenue and that drives almost every aspect of our field – there’s no way around it, unfortunately. If I’ve learned anything over the decades, it’s that compromise is a frequent, if not daily, requirement of the job.

So while many of us will miss the edgy approach of the editors, I’m hopeful that a fresh voice will take the editor’s chair and continue to make The Swarthmorean a good read, weaving new content in with the social activism Pastan and Nelms brought to the paper. This might not be the answer some readers want – but, in publishing, that’s often the way forward.

Pete Prown
Rose Valley