At Wednesday night’s annual Schieffer Symposium on the News, topics like the future of the media, the dark time in American economics and the increasingly polarized political spectrum were discussed.

The symposium gathered experienced media professionals from multiple media platforms and publications and should be applauded because it provided diverse viewpoints relevant to both the university and the Fort Worth community.

And community was an important topic of the night, as it should be. Panelists were concerned about the American people on many different levels, as they should be.

As panelists pointed out, when politicians argue instead of compromise, Americans lose. When corporate America needs to be bailed out, Americans pay the price. When jobs are scarce and debt is overabundant, Americans carry that burden.

These issues are real, and they have real consequences that affect real people. Therefore, the ball is in the people’s court.

If we want change, we must demand it. Sometimes we forget this is a democratic republic, in which citizens can take an active part of the government. There are letters to be written and phone calls to be made if the country is not happy with the direction in which it is heading.

We have a voice. We just need to use it.

News editor Katey Muldrow for the editorial board.