Yasu Shinozaki, College fourth-year and History major, has been at the Review since his second semester at Oberlin, beginning in Arts & Culture before moving into News. Known for his encyclopedic knowledge of campus and town life, Yasu consistently used his wide network of community contacts and strong sense of local dynamics to develop small tips into major reporting. He was willing to prioritize coverage over convenience, biking to events at a moment’s notice. His reporting frequently produced major front-page stories marked by attentiveness to institutional history, local politics, and evolving dynamics.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How has covering news on campus and in the community shaped your perspective on Oberlin?
I think that’s been one of my favorite things about the Review, really feeling like I got to know this community and this College better because of it. Periodic conversations with the people who have important roles behind the scenes, whether that’s Mark Zeno, assistant vice president and dean of residence life and auxiliary services, or Director of Planning and Development Carrie Porter, have helped me understand the intricacies of how these systems work, both locally and on campus. I’ve gotten to know the town in a way that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Going to the New Russia Township trustee meetings this spring and talking to people there is a very different world than Oberlin: very rural, a lot of farmers, but also very close by, within maybe a quarter mile. On campus, getting to understand what students are interested in has really given me a more well-rounded view of Oberlin.
What’s your favorite part about the Review office?
The Review office, for those who are not familiar, is underground, beneath Burton Hall. You can just see a sliver of light through the windows, and the walls are covered with a bunch of posters that look like they were originally put there in the 1980s, photos of staff members, and crazy things that staff members have said over the years. I think that kind of encapsulates the whole energy of the office. We have a lot of fun here. People who work for the Review are typically very funny and very smart, but are also really serious about what they do. There’s a sense instilled in the culture that what we’re doing is important, and I think that I think that everyone who’s a member of the Review staff feels that.
What do you hope changes at the Review in the coming years? And what do you hope stays the same?
I think there’s always more room for local news coverage. The City of Oberlin does not have a local paper since the previous one closed in 2018, and so it’s sort of our responsibility to cover town stories, whether that’s local elections, policy, development, or anything like that. Throughout my time, we’ve struggled with how to cover City Council meetings effectively and know what people in the town are interested in. I don’t know the exact statistics on this, but I would say probably at least half of our readership are people in the local community who look to the Review as a source of community news. It’s always been a personal interest of mine to create a community section with a community editor. I hope future editors can implement these things.
What has been your personal philosophy when it comes to reporting on difficult or controversial stories?
I think the best thing that we can do is always to just talk it over with other people on staff. I’ve really done that with Swaranya Sarkar, my current co-editor; my former co-editor and current editor-in-chief Layla Wallerstein; and my good friend and former co-editor, Karthik Ranganadhan. I’ve had a lot of late-night conversations about what is accurate to say. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree, but in all cases, having to articulate why you’re doing something and having to defend that really makes your decisions stronger. Our editorial decisions can and likely will affect people’s lives, and the Review is entirely student-run, so it’s all up to us. I think having that community of people who are very serious about this and also very knowledgeable, where we can bounce ideas back and forth, is always the best thing and has left me feeling better about what we’re doing.
What do you hope your legacy is at this place? What do you hope to leave behind?
One of the best things with News has been bringing new writers into the folds of the Review and teaching them and watching them grow. Seeing them emerge as writers and editors is an exciting thing, and I’m always excited to see what they will do. At this point, two editors-in-chief started working at the paper with me. Outgoing editor-in-chief Layla and I both started our sophomore year. I started in the fall, and she started in the spring. Then the incoming editor-in-chief, Swaranya Sarkar, started her time at Review as my co-editor earlier this year. The incoming News editors are also people who I have done a lot of work with.
What is something about the newsroom dynamic that you’ll miss the most?
I will miss the people. It’s definitely a bonding experience, particularly the late Thursday nights into Friday mornings. I’ll miss those times when, after the insanity has cleared, there’s maybe a moment to talk and joke around a little.
What will you not miss?
I really hope that at no other point in my life will I be working this many more hours than I’m being paid for.
