This semester has been all about change. Coming into the fall term, I had no idea what was going happen. The Daily Free Press was at a pivotal moment in its 44-year life. Either the staff and I were going to rise to the occasion and succeed, or we were going to drop the ball. After everything that we have been through, I am happy to say that I will be leaving this semester, knowing that we rose to the occasion and did everything we could to move the FreeP forward.
As soon as I was chosen as editor-in-chief for Fall 2014, we announced that the FreeP would be changing our publication cycle to print once a week instead of four days, with digital content Monday through Friday.
Upon hearing of the change, I was sad, just like many other staff members and alumni. I was city editor when we were printing four days a week, and there was just something special about seeing your name in print that made the difficult days of scrambling for interviews and long nights of editing and laying out the paper, worth it each time. However, I made it my mission to make sure that we were still producing amazing content. And I also made it my mission to make sure that we were pushing the envelope the whole semester.
Over the summer months, I spoke with each of the editors to hear about their plans, concerns and questions about going into this semester. The basic question that I heard over and over again was: “What are we doing?” or “How are we going to do this?” Well, that was a good question. I had no idea how this change was going to play out.
“We’re doing something no one’s even tried, and yes, we’re terrified, but watch what happens,” is what four characters sing together in one of my favorite Broadway musicals, “Newsies” (I know, how appropriate and corny). I thought it fit very well here.
Over the course of about three and a half months, we had a lot of ups and downs. From editors leaving and staying up until 9 a.m. to finish our print issue (which almost didn’t make it to the printers on time) to so many laughs, random dance parties and trips to UBurger and the City Convenience store, we have seen it all this semester. We even saw the #FreePFund raise more than our goal of $70,000 in two days to save our weekly print issue.
For all of these experiences, I am extremely grateful to have shared them with my staff, colleagues and some of my best friends. I couldn’t have done anything this semester without my partner-in-crime, my managing editor Felicia Gans. She was the rock who kept me sane and this paper running smoothly. I will sincerely miss the late nights with her, singing musicals and dancing to The Cheetah Girls.
But it would be a crime to not note the rest of the editors that made this an amazing semester. Where would the FreeP be if it wasn’t for our multimedia editor, who basically redesigned our website and helped rebrand the FreeP? Or our wonderful and incredibly sweet features editor who always turned in quality work and wasn’t satisfied until it was perfect?
What about a bright, bubbly and sassy opinion editor who is full of energy and life? Or our humorous and quiet sports editor, and lively and energetic photo editor? But of course, we couldn’t have done it without our campus and city editors, who stepped up when the FreeP needed them most and never complained about the late nights and amount of work they had to do. These are the people who make the paper run each day, and I couldn’t imagine working with such an incredible crew.
But without our associate editors, assistants, staff writers, bloggers, photographers and videographers, we would be doing everything ourselves. I have seen each of them turn in remarkable work, and it was a pleasure to see them grow throughout the semester.
I hope the FreeP staff continues to enjoy coming into the newsroom each day for countless hours, being proud of the work they have accomplished at the end of the year. This semester was really a foundation as we figure out our digital presence, laying down the tools and skills needed to move forward and build a newsroom that is innovative and willing to try new things.
I had the incredible pleasure of working for half of my college career with the some of the most talented and best journalists in the country. From someone who didn’t even know if he wanted to pursue journalism, I wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world.
