FINAL WORD: Letter from the Editor

I’ll be the first to admit that I never fancied myself an editor. In fact, I went into college with the distinct thought that the path to editor was not for me.

But as I reflect on this semester as Editor-in-Chief, I almost can’t remember what those first thoughts felt like. Instead, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for this newspaper, for the people who’ve inspired me to jump way outside my comfort zone and for the opportunity to take my shot at this fraught thing we call journalism.

Looking back, perhaps my unlikely path to this position — by way of staff photographer and multimedia editor — was well suited to a publication that’s navigating a digitally-focused media environment that rewards innovation and begs to move past old ideas. Don’t get me wrong, solid journalism has been and will always be the core of what we do at The Daily Free Press. But everything else — the ideating and imagining — is the true challenge in today’s journalism.

We took that prospect this semester and ran with it. We trusted each other enough to take risks. We cared enough about the final product to pull 12-hour nights in the office, and then do it again the next day. Guided by wisdom and experience, we took this opportunity to tell stories in the most compelling ways we knew how.

There’s something peculiar about leading a cohort of editors who have each written dozens of stories, when I myself only have one written byline to my name, among more photo and multimedia bylines. I found that journalism, however, was only half the challenge. Sure, a mastery of editing was important. But for me, building trust with and inspiring a group of classmates to fulfill their potential as professional journalists was more a challenge of leadership — one that motivated me to spend more than 40 hours a week in our somewhat dingy, often messy office.

At a recent dinner among our editorial staff, our managing editor said it best: when pursuing new opportunities, it’s important to surround yourself with people who you feel are more talented than you are, to create an environment of constant learning. I think it’s safe to say we all feel this way at the FreeP — I learned something every day I walked into this office.

I knew this semester would be challenging for us all, editors and staff alike. What I didn’t anticipate, however, was that in every challenge there would be an opportunity to witness people grow.

It was when our website crashed a mere two weeks into the semester that I saw our multimedia editor put her personal life on hold to ensure we could continue to do our jobs, learning how to manage crisis and navigate the technicalities of the Internet along the way.

It was when our editorial viewpoints grew more relevant and perhaps more provocative that I saw our editorial page editor hold true even in the face of demoralizing Internet rage and public criticism. She allowed no amount of negative feedback to limit our ability to take stances on important issues.

It was after coaching a new staff writer on his first breaking news story that I saw him become a fixture of the Student Government beat, following arguably this semester’s most important story.

It was in covering SG in-depth that I saw our campus editor exhibit leadership that kept stories timely and relevant to students.

This semester, we weren’t simply watchdogs of the university — we acted as a voice for students who care about any number of issues. Where else could students go to share their opinions on these topics, in a forum that’s unguarded by public relations professionals? We fostered conversation and acted as a record of student viewpoints.

Indeed, these past few months were marked by a fusion of essential journalistic functions and innovative solutions. In creating an on-call breaking news team, we became more nimble in our reporting. In rethinking our social media strategy, we reached more students online than ever before. In pushing multimedia, we created a steady flow of engaging video and podcasts.

None of this would have been possible if it weren’t for our editors. We surely wouldn’t have made it through without our smiling sports editor, or without our courageous editorial page editor. And of course it would not have been the same without our blog editor, who pushed herself to learn more about journalism, even with fine arts projects to tackle most nights once she left the office. Equally as essential was our passionate photo editor, who fostered a dedicated staff.

Surely we needed our campus and city news editors to tell the crucial stories of this semester. And our features editor for her wit, charm and ability to craft the perfect turn of phrase. Our multimedia editor was essential in saving the FreeP from Internet disaster, and bringing our multimedia coverage to the next level. Of course, our newspaper would be nothing without the creativity and vision of our layout editor — an advertising major who will admit she fell in love with journalism.

Last, but certainly not least, I would be nowhere without my managing editor, my right hand man. His use of language and editing precision were inspiring. He indulged my big thoughts and brought me down to earth, and I wouldn’t have enjoyed this semester nearly as much without him across the desk from me.

It goes without saying that our entire staff was remarkable in their ability to churn out stories, photos, videos, podcasts and blogs week after week. I’m excited to see many of them rise up as editors next semester.

I sign off from this position with a mixture of pride, sadness and hope. I’m proud of the distance we pushed ourselves this semester. I’m sad that it’s all over, and that we still have a ways to go in gaining readers within a landscape where it’s increasingly hard to do so. But I’m hopeful that we can grow, find new ways to reach our audience and continue to be a place that students who love journalism can call home.