The Badger Herald is done playing nice.

That’s not a typical way to begin a ‘back to school’ column in a student newspaper. But, then again, the Herald is not your typical student paper.

It’s a new school year (and my last as a student at the University of Wisconsin, which is terrifying) but I’m most amped about the changes taking place in the Herald’s office.

Before the close of last year, we announced a proactive move toward an online-first publication model with two print editions each week. This means you’ll see breaking news appear on our website and promoted on our social media accounts throughout the day, seven days a week. On Mondays and Thursdays, you’ll be able to pick up our Monday and weekend editions of the Herald – geared toward arming you with the stories you need to get through the week ahead and how to plan your weekend, respectively. Both issues will be heftier, with the best of online content and analytical print exclusives. Shoutouts will be in print on Thursdays. 

In short, we’ll keep doing the things we do best – covering the news that matters most to students, without the bullshit – on our new website every single day. We’re a daily student publication; we’re just not slaves to print.

Another exciting addition this year is our partnership with our friends over at the Madison Misnomer, UW’s satirical paper. We’ll print a roundup of their best content from the week on a special page every Thursday, which promises all the off-color references you can handle.

This Registration Issue also marks the first produced in our brand-spanking-new offices at 152 W. Johnson St. (I helped build the Swedish furniture myself, which is a huge deal). I strongly urge you to stop by our office for one of our three meetings for new writers, photographers, videographers, copy editors, designers or hackers, scheduled for Sept. 4 at 7 p.m., Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 6 at 3:30 p.m. Of all of my na?ve freshman year mistakes, checking out a Herald new writers meeting on a whim wasn’t one of them. I really can’t believe it’s already been four years of playing beer pong on conference room tables (don’t tell the new landlord) and hanging out with some of the coolest people on campus. 

Although there’s plenty that’s new this year, you’ll also see a return to our roots. The Herald was founded as an oppositional, scrappy piece of work; an eternal thorn in the university’s side and a middle-fingered challenge to the bland pages of the university-housed paper in the belly of Vilas Hall. While not much has changed over there, we’re building a media company geared for the future of journalism, one that emphasizes excellence in reporting, quality multimedia content and forward-thinking design all without a dime of the university’s money.

Any publication can feign editorial independence. But for us to remain true to our mission, while printing exactly what we want whether it’s incendiary, unpopular or downright offensive, we need to do it without oversight.

We are a constantly evolving, constantly changing experiment – the way student journalism should be. I hope you’ll join us. 

Katherine Krueger ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. 

Editor’s note: The text of this column has been edited to clarify the Daily Cardinal is not funded by the University of Wisconsin.