I can’t read. At least, that’s what I would jokingly say when asked about my favorite book; it’s a question I often get as a writer and editor. The problem is: I haven’t read a book in years.

I used to fly through books, ravenously tearing past the pages with the indescribable literary hunger of a true bibliophile. My library is one of my prized possessions, most of the novels worn from years of reading and rereading. “The Divine Comedy,” “The Odyssey” and “No Longer Human” are all tinged with yellowing pages and faint corner folds, loving deterioration as a result of my many sleepless nights spent pouring over their trilling contents.

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The irony isn’t lost on me. How ridiculous is a writer who can’t even skim their way through a short story? The truth is, reading ceased to cast its charm on me. No longer was I enraptured by an unfolding story, but instead stifled by a suffocating soup of sentences. Whether it’s because of my ADHD or the shortened attention span I got from TikTok brain rot, going into college I could hardly do a five-page reading without asking ChatGPT to summarize it for me.

I’ve worked for the Daily Trojan for three semesters now. As an editor, I have to read. I have to read a lot. Sometimes editing up to five articles a day, I don’t have the choice to half-ass my read-through — that would be disrespectful to the writer and the rest of the editors who edit the article after me.

When I first came into the position, I struggled. I hadn’t fully read over 300 words in a long time — a humiliating and sad reality. Those in my classes would look at me incredulously when I admitted I hadn’t done a single reading throughout the semester. As an editor, I truly came to realize how far I had fallen. At one point, I could read the entire “Harry Potter” series from cover to cover in a month. Now, I can’t even work through a short article without my eyes glazing over.

Journalism is a funny thing. Even though two reporters may attend the same event, the spin and angle of the story are ultimately crafted by the writer. One reporter may write about the intense rivalry of the players in a chess tournament while another may consider the months of work put into organizing the tournament. The story told is always unique, and no two reporters are alike. 

That is what I love about working for the Daily Trojan, and what’s made me fall in love with reading all over again. Everyone on our staff is here to tell stories — whether serious, beautiful or goofy, the tales we tell reach across and beyond our campus. 

I love reading our writers’ stories. I love seeing writers approach articles from unique angles. I love experiencing that passion that creeps off the page when someone truly pours their heart into their reporting. 

As the semester progresses, I’ve fallen deeper and deeper back into my old ways. I feel my fierce adoration for reading reigniting from my time at DT, by the myriad of stories thrown my way daily. The insatiable hunger slowly inches back as I read more.

I won’t lie and say my reading addiction is back in full force. It’s a process: Though I’m desperate to consume more literary content, my short attention span still haunts my cozy reading sessions. But, it’s something I’m going to have to combat with time — and I think working at DT has been a colossal jumpstart.

“Editors’ Epilogue” is a rotating column featuring a new Daily Trojan editor in each installment and their personal experiences. Aubrie Cole is a sophomore studying communication and is an arts & entertainment editor at the Daily Trojan.