I have a confession to make.
From late 2021 through the spring of 2023 (and including a brief stint in the spring of 2024), I consumed hundreds of Dum-Dums™ lollipops from The Daily’s newsroom on the third floor of the Norris University Center. So, if you ventured to the newsroom at any point in recent years in search of a sweet treat only to find yourself sorely disappointed, you now know who to blame.
I have to admit, it feels good to get that off my chest. Like many hard truths, that one had burdened me for years. But now I’m free to admit the role that those Dum-Dums™ played in helping me get through those long nights writing or editing campus stories, working through line edits on In Focus pieces.
Jokes aside, those lollipops were just some of the many things that made my time at The Daily so valuable. For one, the people were pretty cool, other wonderful staffers in my year have done a much better job than I can articulating that in their own essays. And on a personal level, The Daily helped me become a more thoughtful and inquisitive journalist, a huge help to me in the opportunities I have pursued since.
Still, the Dum-Dums™ stick with me, especially the mystery ones. Those were always my favorites because I never knew which flavor I was going to get –– one might say that life is like that. Or, they might say that the mystery Dum-Dums™ lollipops are a metaphor for journalism.
It’s a bit of a stretch but hear me out. Those mystery lollipops are a reminder to us to stay curious about the world and not judge a book by its cover. A mystery Dum-Dums™ lollipop has purple wrapping, but doesn’t necessarily mean it’s grape-flavored. It could be blue raspberry or cherry or any other flavor you dream of.
I have to admit that that metaphor is a bit crusty largely because I just made it up. Generally speaking, those Dum-Dums™ lollipops may not exactly be a metaphor for the “spirit of journalism” — but I like to think that they are.
If I could give a bit of advice to new Daily staffers, I’d say, “Eat as many Dum-Dums as you want.” The hours you put in at The Daily can be both rewarding and challenging, but it’s important to find times for little moments of joy, whether that’s jamming out to newsroom playlists with your friends or enjoying a sweet treat made in a factory in Northwestern (no pun intended) Ohio. Those pockets of joy can go a long way toward making your experience with The Daily more fulfilling and memorable. It’s often not the big memories that stick with you, but the little moments that are sprinkled in along the way.
It’s been quite a ride y’all,
Pavan
Email: [email protected]
