As journalists we are faced daily with an environment full of fluctuating circumstances, situations and possibilities. Accommodating these changes is part of the profession. Those who can’t deal with change – or rather choose to fight it – are in the wrong field.
Which is why it was apparent to the editorial staff in the fall of 2005 that the Northern Star was due for its own version of change. How could something that evolves on such a regular basis be presented the same was as it was nearly a decade ago? So taking into consideration changing readers’ tendencies, new storytelling and design techniques – while sticking with certain conventions and without compromising our journalistic integrity – the staff launched a re-design for the Spring 2006 semester.
It was the Star’s first redesign in seven years and maybe the most extensive in the paper’s storied history. Sections were moved, renamed and refocused. Every detail from the fonts to the flag was evaluated and updated.
The result was a look that features daily full color front pages, either a magazine or headline-only front page, more Sports pages, increased entertainment and specified wire pages for local, national and international news. The weekly entertainment section, The Weekender, was replaced by a daily arts and entertainment page called Flavor. The increased design elements are coupled with alternative story methods, such as interviews, timelines and the buzz word “charticles.” These graphic-heavy stories enable readers to get the same information more quickly.
Some feared this design would take away from readership and worried we planned to “dumb down” the news. In fact, we have presented more information using our new approach and many readers have reported getting through the paper’s entirety and at a quicker pace while comprehending more of the details.
In fact, the redesign was acknowledged recently by the Student Society of News Design. The Northern Star received first place in “Best Overall Design” for daily college papers, and took second place for “Best Redesign.”
With the understanding that news presentation and expectations change as frequently as news itself, we understand that this redesign will continue to fluctuate. After all, the catalyst for this project was a respect for readers and their habits. If the Northern Star wants to continue to be leader among college newspapers, it must make growth like this redesign the norm.
Derek Wright is an NIU senior and journalism major. This fall, he’s editor of Flavor, the Star’s entertainment page.
I began my tenure as Editor in Chief in fall 2006 with some fresh ideas but the same overall mission.
While humbly crediting the start of the spirit of innovation to the Star’s spring 2006 leadership, my staff and I knew we wanted to continue our goal of being NIU and DeKalb’s primary source for news.
But at the same time, we wanted to continue to innovate our product and
take into consideration the criticism – both positive and negative
– that we received following our first redesign.
Our newspaper now reflects exactly that goal. Our cover page has become
a mixture of one story per day, as well as art teasing additional stories
inside. We also have implemented for the cover what we call Widgets –
short, useful pieces of information that the reader can’t find anywhere
else in the paper.
We continue to assign and write stories while keeping in mind a bigger picture – how the story will be most useful to the reader. On any given day, that could mean presenting it in print with an eye-catching graphic, or on our Web site with multimedia.
We are beginning to expand our Web presence this semester by enhancing content that is already in the print version with video and photo galleries. One of our latest ventures online included launching NS*Swap, a site exclusively for NIU students that allows them to post free online classified ads.
We also continue to evaluate exactly how our online radio station, NS*Radio, fits in with the rest of our operations. We currently feature talk shows with a news and music focus about 18 hours a day. We are looking into expanding some different ventures, including daily news Podcasts and radio-exclusive reporters.
I firmly believe this is one of the most exciting times to be a part of journalism and the Northern Star. The industry continues to change and many blindly are going in different directions. In DeKalb, however, we remain committed to preparing our staff for post-college work while continuing to set a standard of quality many of you would be proud of.
Justin Smith is an NIU junior and a journalism major.