Andy Thomason will join the ranks of famous journalists Charles Kuralt, Thomas Wolfe and Pulitzer Prize-winner Jonathan Yardley as editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel next year.
Thomason was chosen Saturday by an 11-member selection committee made up of Daily Tar Heel staff, students, faculty and a member of the community.
Thomason was the sole candidate running for the position, but Zach Evans, a member of the selection board and multimedia editor at The Daily Tar Heel, said that didn’t diminish the seriousness of the selection process.
“People told me it would be an attack,” Thomason said. “But questions were very constructive and fair.”
Thomason, a junior history major from Charlotte, is currently editor of the paper’s University desk. He also served as editor-in-chief last summer.
The selection committee reviewed Thomason’s 17-point platform.
The platform includes ways to improve article content, multimedia, transparency and reporter training.
Members of the selection board said they were impressed with Thomason’s passion and experience.
“You could tell he has a vision and knows how to achieve his goals,” Evans said.