Our promise for fair SGA election coverage

The goal of this column is to discuss presidential election endorsements.

Please take note, though, that this column is not discussing whether or not we will be endorsing. This is directed at the question itself and the perceptions that are held about the Future.

Lately, we have received a lot of questions about the angle we'll be taking this year in our endorsement. We haven't decided who we're going to endorse or even if we're going to endorse at all.  We would like to see more of the candidates' platforms before making that commitment.

The Future is an independent, student-run newspaper that operates under the umbrella of Florida Today. It is in no way tied to or funded by UCF and the Student Government Association, as some believe.

Florida Today is tied to USA Today, which is owned by Gannett, a corporation that owns many publications around the country.

We're proud of the fact that such an organization funds us to be separate from the university and makes sure that we always have the tools we need to be successful.

Other student-run newspapers often receive funding from the university or have to be funded through a small advertising department. While we do operate on ads, we also have full financial support from our owners.

This frees us from having to worry about funds or conflicts of interest when it comes to reporting on UCF.

Whenever I hear, "I think you guys at the Future should remain unbiased and not endorse a candidate because you're tied to UCF," I can't help but think that pressure is being placed upon us to follow a certain editorial path.

This is not how we're going to operate while I'm editor-in-chief.

While we are a part of UCF's daily life and vice versa, I do not ever plan on having editorial decisions influenced by others.

Any decision we make will come from our editorial staff with the guidance of our advisors and manager — should we seek it.

Being curious and asking about the thought process is normal, but attempting to convince the staff either way about the path to take with endorsements is something that always makes me uncomfortable.

We work incredibly hard to produce well-balanced and neutral content. We aren't whispering in the shadows and hiding a secret bias from the readers.

We're truly looking for the best candidates. Once we see more information on the candidates' platforms, what they stand for and what they want for UCF, we'll sit down as a staff and make our decision.

Until then, be sure to follow both tickets closely and remember to vote. Voting begins on March 28.