I heard a political analyst talking on CBC Radio this morning about risks. Companies have thrived on risks. They’re lauded for taking them and showered with rewards when they prove successful. Governments, on other hand, he argued, are told to not take risks. They’re condemned for doing so and are evicted when risky decisions fail.

It got me thinking: are newspapers more like companies or governments? It seems at the campus journalism level, it’s easy to avoid risk-taking. Campus journalists are usually students, usually green, usually scared of the world. Risks are the gateway to lawsuits and condemnation, letters-to-the-editor and public embarrassment. Risky editors are seen are careless, not creative.

But if risks are also the source of incredible benefits, success and innovation, how can they be avoided — especially at the campus journalism level?