The journalism world has undergone a monumental change for the last several years. But you already know this.

The Badger Herald’s history as a student newspaper consistently defies conventional media wisdom. We are accustomed to shifts in the media world. Not only does our staff switch over on a semesterly basis, but we also have the unique privilege of being able to experiment with editorial and online content in a way that only exists in the dreams of regular newspaper editors.

This is one of the main reasons I am excited to take the helm as the Herald’s editor-in-chief for the 2012-2013 academic year. From the moment I became a state reporter very early in my freshman year, the Herald has been the centerpiece of my experience at the University of Wisconsin. The opportunity to lead it through one year is both humbling and exciting.

I would be remiss not to acknowledge the accomplishments of our current editor-in-chief, Signe Brewster, whose term has been characterized by mountains of positive change and a personal humility that is rare in the student journalism world. Just about every Herald employee will tell you how immensely lucky they were to have worked with Signe.

We’re sure to see some interesting stories pop up in the next year. This includes a national election which will once again bring Wisconsin to center stage in national politics, the aftermath of a recall election which could serve as the resolution of a years-long political crisis in this state and the beginning of the search for a chancellor to replace two of the University of Wisconsin’s most divisive leaders in recent memory.

As the news changes, the Herald is up for the challenge of following the most important stories and making sure the student community can get their hands on the most important information as it happens.

News as it happens

If you’re an especially dedicated Herald reader, you may have waited until midnight to check in and see the next day’s opinion columns or news stories before everyone else. By the time next semester arrives, this practice will be a thing of the past. We soon will begin to roll out a brand new and beautiful website, and content will begin to receive updates on a regular basis throughout the day.

Along with this change, also plan to see more brief, up-to-the-minute news stories on our website as information develops. Live coverage through media like live blogs and tweeting will become even more prominent next year.

Explainers

When I was a young reporter, I scratched my head for about a year before finally understanding the full extent of our student government and the university’s administration. This is sure to be a common sentiment for those who don’t call themselves part of the UW community’s political or journalistic circles.

Journalism is, more than anything else, a public service to help wide swaths of a population understand the information floating around on a daily basis. This is why readers can expect more explainer columns in our news section. These columns, which our section editors and experienced reporters will write, should allow readers to cut through the most confusing elements of politics. With them, we hope readers can develop a more complete understanding of what makes certain news stories so important to our community.

Accountability

With national trust in mass media decreasing on a regular basis, the Herald is committed to keeping readers more hopeful for the future of our newspapers’ relationship with the public. For this reason, I have decided to reinstate a weekly public editor column. I hope this change will increase transparency about the Herald’s internal practices and also keep our staff grounded. Newsrooms have the potential to be insular, disconnected places. I do not want to see the Herald stray down that path.

Jason Smathers, who served as our editor-in-chief for the 2009-2010 academic year and currently works as a Capitol reporter, will write this column. Jason is one of the most critical thinkers I have met, and his knowledge of the Herald, its history and the intricacies of journalism ethics will prove to be an important asset to our readers and our staff. He is a friend to many on the staff, but I know him well enough to say he will provide unfiltered and, if necessary, highly critical analysis of the decisions we make next year.

In addition to Jason’s column, our new website will give readers more direct contact with section editors and Herald upper management. Instead of searching through our long staff page, readers will now have the option of submitting feedback directly through our website without the cumbersome practice of copying and pasting emails.

Become part of the Herald

The daunting three flights of steps that lead to our office might seem intimidating, but the Herald is a welcoming organization always dedicated to bringing in new faces throughout the semester. In addition to working as an arts writer, opinion columnist or news/sports reporter, UW students have the opportunity to work in our multimedia department or join our award-winning design staff to put out some truly amazing work.

I’m pleased to say that a team of two talented and capable editors will help lead the Herald through these changes. Taylor Nye, who has guided our opinion section with great skill and enthusiasm for the last year, will take my place at the managing editor’s desk. Pam Selman, a fantastic reporter and our current news editor, will move up to editor-at-large.

Feel free to contact any of the folks listed below if you are interested in working for their department. Our email addresses at the Herald are easy to understand; it’s simply the first letter of the first name followed by the entire surname. For example, mine is [email protected]

Assuming the world doesn’t end on Dec. 23, I think we’re in store for a good year at the Herald. I look forward to experiencing it with UW students and the Madison community.

NEWS 

News Editor: Katie Caron 

News Content: Leah Linscheid 

Deputy News: Mike Kujak 

City: Molly McCall and Camille Albert 

Campus: Tara Golshan and TBD

State: Leopoldo Rocha and Meghan Zernick

OPINION

Editorial Page Editor: Reginald Young 

Editorial Page Content: Charles Godfrey 

Opinion Blog Editors: Joe Timmerman and Meher Ahmad

EDITORIAL BOARD 

Addie Blanchard (Chair) 

Ryan Rainey 

Taylor Nye 

Pam Selman 

Reggie Young 

Charles Godfrey 

Meher Ahmad 

Sarah Witman

SPORTS

Sports Editor: Ian McCue 

Sports Content Editor: Nick Korger 

Associate Sports Editors: Sean Zak and Nick Daniels 

Statistics Editor: Caroline Sage 

Blog Editor: Spencer Smith

ARTSETC

ArtsEtc Editor: Allegra Dimperio 

ArtsEtc Content: Joe Nistler

MULTIMEDIA 

Multimedia editor: Ramsey Statz 

Associate multimedia editor: Tim Hadick

PHOTO 

Photo editor: Andy Fate 

Associate photo editors: Kelsey Fenton and Jen Small

DESIGN 

Design director: Sigrid Hubertz

COPY 

Copy chief: Tom Guthrie 

Associate copy chief: Kristin Prewitt