This is my second article for The Daily Free Press.
For the spring and fall 2023 semesters, I was a photo co-editor. The semester before that, a photographer.
So what’s the path from this to editor-in-chief?
It’s an anomaly. When applications came around for the next semester, I applied to a managing co-editor position hoping to pick up skills in line editing. But I got to thinking about what I could do.
I had ideas for what I thought the paper could do to start to deliver stories in new ways, including visuals, graphics, social media — anything to captivate a new audience.
And so I brought these ideas to my interview.
A few days later, I got a call from fall 2023 editor-in-chief Chloe Patel, offering me to take over her position.
I took part of the day to think it over. I thought, with my limited experience line editing articles, I might screw it all up. But news judgment and leadership ability are across mediums, across writing and photography. So I took it.
I was still worried about my ability to edit articles. But learning that managing co-editors Jenny Lambert and Daisy Levine would be working alongside me, I knew their support would guarantee great work.
We edited our first article together before the semester even began. It was a feature story written by Daisy that included an interview with “Ted” star Seth MacFarlane. We were celebrating the holidays at home, so it took Jenny and me longer than usual to edit, but it still was a great introduction to working with both of them.
We started the semester on the ground running: multimedia editor Kayla Baltazar revamped our Instagram account’s format into its current, sleek design. We loved it and I enjoy seeing how professional the FreeP looks on social media — even if Top 3 always needs a reminder to check the day’s posts.
On our third day of publishing, several FreeP reporters and photographers traveled to New Hampshire to report on the first-in-the-nation presidential primaries.
City editor Anna Rubenstein not only oversaw reporters and news writers covering this major political event, but she also co-wrote two articles and published them that night.
Also in the Granite State, features co-editors Siena Griffin and Macie Parker highlighted what canvassers were feeling during the primary, setting the tone for their section’s colorful human interest stories.
Our first print edition came out soon after, with layout editor Augie Oppenheimer completely redesigning our front page.
The front page featured investigative editor Mara Mellits’ first piece in her inaugural role, an in-depth look into the part-time faculty union on campus.
Then, our second print edition came. I tried a new format, switching it to a “day print” on Sunday instead of Thursday night, starting around 11 a.m. in the hopes of getting everyone out at a reasonable time.
This did not go as planned.
We ended up getting out around 3 a.m., making it a 16-hour-long print. Yikes. It’s safe to say we didn’t try day print again.
I was devastated after this. The goal of creating healthier hours for a print had completely failed. But Jenny and Daisy helped me get out of the rut and we worked together to make sure something like this wouldn’t repeat.
We had spring break to recuperate, though because of the basketball team’s playoff run, sports editor Brendan Galvin had to edit stories with Top 3.
Around the same time, campus co-editors Kiera McDonald and Maya Mitchell began in-depth coverage of the incoming Boston University Graduate Workers Union strike. As of today, they’ve published eight articles on the strike.
Our third print reflected this even more, with an amazing front page picture by photo co-editor and my former co-editor Molly Potter. Molly and photo co-editor Kate Kotlyar killed it this semester — for the digital version of a gallery on the strike, Kate designed a whole new website template, and we’ve used it since.
All of the visuals this semester were amazing. The illustrations by graphics editor Annika Morris have been all-around outstanding. I chuckle a little every time I see the one of President Joe Biden slipping on the plane stairs, made for opinion co-editor Lauren Albano’s excellent political column.
Lauren and opinion co-editor Lea Rivel not only edited a wide variety of opinion articles but also wrote some of my favorite editorials of my time on the paper, including one covering the recent Nickelodeon documentary and one criticizing gender disparities in Beanpot tournament engagement.
In the week leading up to our fourth print night, lifestyle editor Andrew DiBiasio budgeted four articles for each day, topping off the 100 he already published.
For this final print edition, Brendan and Mara published a cross-section collaborative sports investigative piece.
It’s an honor to go out on such a high note, but I’m sad to say it’s over.
But after editing over 480 articles and publishing four incredible print editions, we’re not only great friends but amazing collaborators. Without Daisy’s expertise in narrative structure and Jenny’s knowledge of news writing and AP style, I don’t know where the FreeP or I would be.
I think back to countless CityCo runs, stress-relieving walks down Comm. Ave. and turning off our fluorescent lights to stop an oncoming headache.
Mara is the next editor-in-chief and Andrew and Siena are the next co-managing editors. Even though my time as an editor here is over, I’m excited to see where they take the paper and I know The Daily Free Press is in good hands.
