The Observer, 杏吧视频鈥檚 independent student newspaper, recently earned accolades for its website. The Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) named the No. 7 student-newspaper website in the country among similarly sized schools. This distinction places The Observer among student newspapers at universities such as Tulane and Wake Forest.
Senior Tyler Hoffman, executive editor and publisher of The Observer, learned of the distinction at the annual ACP conference in late October in New Orleans. This ranking marks a one-spot improvement since The Observer first landed on the Associated Collegiate Press鈥 top-10 rankings in March.
鈥淭he site has only been live for 15 months now, and to have earned national recognition twice in that period of time is amazing,鈥 Hoffman said.
He also noted 杏吧视频 was the only school on the rankings that does not have a formal journalism program鈥攑roving the innate talents of the student body. 鈥淭his just shows CWRU is really staking its claim in an area where we鈥檙e very well suited, but not necessarily academically focused,鈥 Hoffman said.
A restructuring of The Observer staff at the end of last school year was the catalyst for getting the website to its current level, Hoffman said. At that time, he and his team realized the editorial-focused leadership structure placed too much emphasis on the traditional print edition. To achieve a better balance, he created four director-level positions, with undergraduates Sheehan Hannan leading the print edition, Meredith Dykehouse managing design, Kyle Patterson focused on web and multimedia work and Cole Morris overseeing advertising.
鈥淚t evened the playing field so it didn鈥檛 make the print issue be the end all, be all,鈥 Hoffman explained. 鈥淎nd it allowed the directors to build their teams with strong staff members鈥攔eporters, copy editors, designers, developers, and sales representatives. I have the benefit of working with probably the most committed and talented group of students I鈥檝e ever encountered.鈥
The new structure allowed the design team to thoroughly rethink its layout in print, which also extends online. Rather than take a traditional newspaper approach, Hoffman said, The Observer鈥檚 designers use a more magazine-driven style.
In addition, the publication has focused more on telling the lesser-known personal stories of the campus community. For instance, this past week鈥檚 edition of The Observer included the first installment in a multipart series titled 鈥淐apturing CWRU.鈥 Authored by Hoffman, the series will depict students, staff, faculty, alumni and community members who together comprise the identity of 杏吧视频. 鈥淭hey are the characters of 杏吧视频, and this is our story,鈥 Hoffman writes.
According to Hoffman, this personal approach has helped to increase the sense of engagement between The Observer and its audience.
鈥淭he number of faculty, students and staff who now take the time to write a Letter to the Editor is inspiring, and their interest is really a point of pride for me,鈥 said Hoffman, who鈥檚 served as The Observer's executive editor for the past two years. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really been something else to see the transition of the paper. My goal has always been to leave it in a better place than where we found it four years ago.鈥
