For the past several months, it has been borderline impossible to ignore the news. It has screamed at us every morning, every afternoon and every evening. We encountered it wherever we went, from print newspapers to social media to casual conversation.

On the days immediately after Election Day, we checked the news constantly. We anxiously waited for the Associated Press to call Pennsylvania for Joe Biden or Donald Trump. On the days after an armed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, we sat by waiting for news of impeachment or resignation. The news consumed us — not only as journalists but as Americans.

Compared to the average news day under President Trump, the Biden presidency comes as a reprieve. For the past three weeks, the news cycle has been free of attacks on democracy and calls for political violence.

It’s easy for a slow news week to lull us into a sense of security. Burnout is only natural considering the events of the past few years. However, a Biden presidency does not mean that we should stop paying attention; on the contrary, Americans face a multitude of problems that we would be irresponsible to neglect.

The daily news is no longer littered with outlandish lies and images of men adorned in fur and horns roaming the Capitol halls, but there is still much action to be taken.

Complex political issues do not disappear when a new president takes office. If we act as though President Biden’s election means the “nightmare is over,” we pretend the problems Americans face disappeared overnight. However, the hot-button issues that dominated the 2020 presidential election have grown no less important and no less urgent.

Americans are still waiting for a COVID-19 stimulus bill providing financial relief. We are still waiting for an organized, nationwide vaccination campaign. We are still waiting for leaders to take steps in recognizing and preventing irreversible changes in Earth’s climate. We are still waiting for racial justice in the wake of unjustified, brutal murders of Black Americans at the hands of the police. We are still waiting for the perpetrators of the Capitol insurrection to face penalties for their actions.

Every member of the Fordham community has a voice. We at The Fordham Ram believe that we have a duty to remain aware and involved in issues that affect us, our school, our nation and our world. It is imperative that we use our voices to advocate for the issues that matter instead of blindly relying on President Biden’s administration.

The Ram will continue to report on the Biden administration, just as it has for every administration in the past. It is our duty to cover important news items and publish student voices, and it’s a duty we take with pride. However, it is also up to you, as readers, to stay informed and involved.

This week, former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial began — just over a year after his first impeachment trial concluded — and we can expect plenty of newsworthy material as the Senate proceeds. This impeachment trial has historic implications for American politics, and it deserves both our attention and interest.

We urge you not only to follow the impeachment trial, but to keep your eyes open to issues that matter to you. We invite you to involve yourselves in politics beyond the scope of breaking news and the topics that pop up on your social media feeds. Fighting through news burnout means finding something worth caring about and advocating for regardless of what party holds power.