By Friday evening, a new editor-in-chief will be selected for the 2018-19 academic year.
The three candidates running for the position will individually present their ideas to The Post Publishing Board, which includes students, faculty and myself. The board will then choose the new editor based on a majority vote.
Each year, a member of The Post staff writes a report about the new editor selection. That will be published to our website that evening. The new editor will then start training for the new role and begin hiring a new staff. Each year, staff positions are open to students across the university.
That means the next few months will be an exciting learning experience for everyone in the newsroom. Some years, students re-apply to stay in a role, but often, people begin transitioning to new positions. We are all looking for innovative ways to make The Post better.
Though I am a graduating senior, I will not be out of the picture just yet. I will continue my day-to-day duties, such as planning what stories will go online and in print and handling any requests from readers. But as I continue my duties, I will have someone else alongside so that person can best fulfill the editor role next year.
The Post goes through this transition every year, and the ultimate goal is for the staff to improve and grow every time. Even the graduating seniors like myself want to see The Post thrive when we take on new jobs in new places. We want to see the next generation of writers and editors reporting hard-hitting stories, taking incredible photographs and populating The Post’s website every day. We are all eager to see that happen next year.
It is a great time to express what you would like to see from The Post next year as a reader. There is always room for improvement, and we want to know what will make The Post better. What stories should we be telling? What do you want to see more of online and in print? What do you hope stays the same as staffers begin to transition into new roles? We would love to hear your feedback.
Elizabeth Backo is a senior studying journalism and the editor-in-chief of The Post. Do you have any feedback for The Post? Tell her at eb823313@ohio.edu or send her a tweet at @liz_backo.
