For the inaugural episode of the Pawdcast, a new chapter of Polytechnic's student-run news publication The Paw Print, the 2024-25 student coeditors-in-chief sit down with the publication's founder, Joe Mathews ('91), for a conversation on the paper's place of importance as part of the school community then and now, the power of independent media, and the state of journalism today in a time of rising pressure and censoring. Joe recently joined other members of The Paw Print staff on stage in Garland for an Upper School assembly entitled "Is Democracy Expanding and Declining at the Same Time?” as well as being in attendance in a followup Community Forum later in the day to continue engaging questions surrounding the pluralistic implementations of this thing called Democracy, represented both in hyperlocal neighborhood efforts, to leveraging human rights for the preservation of non-human entities, and more.