Platform: Bringing The Daily Tar Heel to the forefront of the modern media landscape

For 131 years, The Daily Tar Heel has kept the UNC community informed with our print and online coverage.

However, short-form video content on social media has recently exploded in popularity as a solution to our audience's shorter attention spans and busier schedules. This presents an appealing market for news organizations like the DTH, that want to provide reliable information to their audience as succinctly as possible.

I believe short-form video content is the most effective way to retain our busy, college-aged audience. As an editor-in-chief with multimedia and print experience, I will continue our quality print and online coverage while championing expansion into short-form video news. 

Bringing audio-visual, multimedia coverage to the forefront

My plan for more short-form videos would require increased collaboration between desks. Every week, the editor-in-chief and audio & video desk editors will scan the daily news budget to look for at least three stories that could be enhanced by video coverage.

Once the stories are selected, the writer will connect with audio & video staffers who will accompany them to the scene. The two desks will cross-examine information to ensure the facts are consistent while working independently. 

The reporter will conduct interviews for their story, and the multimedia staffers will film and narrate the scene. 

Audio & video staffers will then work with their editors to produce the video. Audio & video will contact the copy team to review any factual or grammatical concerns before passing it along to audience engagement for distribution on social media. 

As editor-in-chief, I will approve every video before it is posted, and the content will be published simultaneously with the written article. 

The result will be a mix of video and written content on the DTH’s social platforms, mirroring the expansion of legacy news outlets into the short-form content market. 

Securing sponsorships to provide quality equipment and space

To double our multimedia production, our newsroom needs more equipment. The most cost-effective way of securing more equipment is by obtaining a sponsorship from a producer of audio and video equipment.  

As editor-in-chief, I want to be mindful of our budget and secure sponsorships from companies that could provide us with these quality products. 

The incentive to sponsors is our incredibly large social media presence, with close to 45,000 followers on Instagram and over 63,000 followers on X. A company mention at the end of our video content is an appealing advertisement, considering our large audience and quality reporting. 

Aside from securing more quality equipment for the newsroom, I would set out to transform our conference room space into a working recording studio. 

My plan for transforming the conference room includes installing: soundproof panels, four XLR microphones, an audio interface, and a DTH-themed backdrop for filming. These modifications will be landlord-friendly, taking into consideration that the DTH does not own this space.  

To finance this transformation, I would reach out over the summer to DTH alumni about donations. We could put a plaque on the conference room door, naming the space after our donors. I will first reach out to former editors-in-chief, who may appreciate the opportunity to have their legacy recognized in an office plaque.  

Adjusting newsroom structure for maximum efficiency 

As editor-in-chief, I will make a few changes to our current editor structure to achieve maximum workflow efficiency. 

Last year, the managing editor role was divided into two managing editors and four deputy managing editors. I will formally cut the role of sports managing editor because our sports desk has proved to be efficient with one desk editor and two assistant editors. 

I will also cut the position of multimedia managing editor. I think strong communication between multimedia desks and an editor-in-chief dedicated to the development of a strong multimedia presence would eliminate the need for this position.

An assistant editor would be added to the audio & video and design desks to handle this transition to more multimedia coverage. I spoke to staffers on both desks before drafting my platform, and both groups felt that their editors would greatly benefit from another editor helping distribute assignments and aid content production.

I also want senior staffers to take on a liaison role between desks. The audience engagement desk has a senior staffer designated to edit and post audio-visual content, which has made collaboration between the two desks much easier.  

Continuing the legacy of previous editors

My goal as editor-in-chief is not to completely restructure the DTH, but rather build upon the hard work of previous leaders. Emmy Martin’s restructuring of the newsroom has proven successful, so I will only make minimal changes to her plan.  

Eventually, the DTH and other news organizations will cease print publications due to a diminishing readership and changing media landscape.

Investing our attention in audio and video content and multimedia journalism will prepare the DTH to thrive in an evolving media market. 

@nataliebradin