Reviving The Anvil

The Anvil: the gritty story of a flailing newspaper

Over the past three years, the content of The Anvil has greatly changed as various student editors and writers have attempted to develop the paper and cater to student, parent, and faculty interests. I have written for the opinions section, which has most likely seen the greatest degree of change over the past few years. The content has largely shifted from topics covering political and current events to content that focus on Middlesex students’ views to inward-focused opinions on the Middlesex community. 

This issue’s opinion’s section topics list includes coverage of pricing and portions at the Grill and recent upperclassmen class trips. One such list from 2021 asks for opinions about “Money Laundering in the Arts Industry” and “Kamala Harris’ Voyage to France.” Although some students are surely interested in the latter topics, The Anvil seems like an odd spot to cover them in.

The new array of topics provides Middlesex parents more insight into their children’s activities and life at school. It can also provide valuable feedback for faculty on student opinions. Middlesex-focused topics are also easier for students to write about, hopefully inviting more student participation; unlike current events, few people are better qualified to write about the Middlesex experience than students. 

One fundamental challenge to the newspaper’s past coverage of current events was the fact that other writers cover the same topics. It’s hard to compete with the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times for coverage of the pressing issues of the day. However, some students are interested in thinking and writing about these topics, and the removal of such topics removes an opportunity for students to practice their analysis and writing.  

Luke Power, News section editor, has also taken his section on a new course this year in order to improve readership and interest in the paper. Luke hopes to “spice things up” this year, tabloid-style. He encourages his writers to write eye-catching, edgy, and sensational stories. Creativity and even satire have found their way into The Anvil’s pages under Luke’s wise and cutting-edge approach to journalism; his writers have since investigated whether Pickleball is a legitimate sport or crime syndicate, and a deep dive into Davis Hale’s taste buds. He hopes to prop up readership, which Section Editor Power alleges has “flatlined.”

However, aside from the fun and intrigue of Luke’s sensational articles, the news section maintains balance with a steady flow of high-quality articles about serious topics. For example, an interview with new Head of School Mrs. Speers provided genuine insight not only to students and faculty, but to parents who have limited opportunities to interact with school life and faculty. 

This is an overall trend of The Anvil this year: greater insight from students to teachers and students to parents about Middlesex happenings, issues, and daily life. 

The Anvil naturally changes a lot year to year: every group of editors has new ideas about how to make The Anvil better, more interesting, and more popular. Some changes work; some don’t, but this year’s changes have largely been for the better: the news section strikes a balance between sensational content and serious journalism, maintaining The Anvil’s serious reputation while introducing a playful element. The opinion section has honed its topics into highly relevant Middlesex opinion. However, something which seems to have changed for the worse is new student participation. New students ultimately form the future core of the paper, and it seems like participation is down this year. Not only are freshmen the future of The Anvil, but the insights and ideas of genuinely new members of the community could be very valuable and interesting. 

Jack Elworth