Steel directs staff with dedication, optimism

When Emily Steel first began her career at The Daily Tar Heel, she was mesmerized by the dedication and work ethic of the older staff. Now, Steel is the person she used to idolize.

A junior journalism and political science major from East Lyme, Conn., Steel is learning Chinese in hopes of becoming a foreign correspondent in China — an idea inspired by a reporting internship last summer at an English-language daily newspaper in Shanghai.

But this week, Steel’s sights are set on becoming the next editor of the DTH.

Steel said she believes strongly in giving back to the University — one of the main reasons why she joined the DTH during her freshman year and why she has continued to advance on the paper’s staff. She was an assistant University editor during her sophomore year and is now the University editor.

“Being on this campus, there’s an amazing energy,” she said. “I wanted to be able to catch a part of that energy.”

As editor, Steel said she wants the paper to inform, entertain, explain and provoke — something that she said is the most important element of her platform. She says she would ensure that the paper keeps up with its day-to-day coverage and provides space in Monday issues for more enterprising stories.

Saying that students are only young once, she also wants to “find creative ways to tell those stories and do it with a sense of style that only a college newspaper can.”

Brian Hudson, a senior writer on the University Desk, said one of Steel’s best skills is helping writers grow as journalists.

“She’s willing to give them a chance,” he said. “Emily’s good at providing advice while editing. She doesn’t let them struggle.”

Lindsay Michel, now an assistant editor on the University desk, said Steel made her feel comfortable when she was adjusting to her first semester in the newsroom last fall.

“She’s a teacher as well as an editor and a boss,” she said. “She pushed me to go out there and ask my own questions.”

Steel said her time at the paper has taught her how to relate well to people and how to be a good leader. “You really have to trust people and give people the guidance they need to best showcase their work,” she said.

Jacki Spies, a University writer, said Steel has a refreshingly optimistic personality. “It really motivates you because it can get stressful if people aren’t returning your calls,” she said.

But it’s probably an understatement to describe Steel as cheerful. She seems to have such an endless supply of energy that it’s impossible to fathom its source, said Elyse Ashburn, DTH editor in 2003-04.

“She’s always been very outgoing,” she said. “The optimism that Emily has is very unique, particularly among journalists. She hasn’t let being hard from a news standpoint color the way that she looks at the world and dampen her optimism.”

Steel said her experience at the DTH as well as at other papers proves that she has the background and the commitment an editor needs.

“But more than that,” she said, “(I have) the passion and the energy and the determination that this newspaper needs … to make it play an active role in the community.”

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.