I’m 50 years beyond the time that I was editor-in-chief of the daily tabloid at my Canadian university (it appeared 5 days per week during the school year). I went on to work for the Canadian Press wire service and a succession of daily newspapers, wrapping up my journalism career in 2015 as editor-in-chief of EMU’s official publications.

There is NOTHING that was more decisive in my life than my two years on the student newspaper. And it’s not just me. I’m on the organizing committee for a reunion of Canadian Press (Montreal) journalists from the 1970s and 1980s. Many of the 50 or so people on my contact list have submitted 300-word mini-bios for a reunion brochure. Almost all of them fondly recall their first forays into journalism as students. All of them led amazingly interesting lives from their 20s onwards (or maybe I haven’t heard from those whose lives weren’t that great).

And — this article is right — all of us from my newspaper era are worried about the demise of fact-based journalism in this era of rampant online misinformation. Do what you’re doing! You’ll never regret those sleepless nights of “putting the paper to bed.” In fact, you’ll love remembering them.