Correction (April 21 12:17 a.m.): An earlier version of this story stated that Hindi's group made recommendations to the paper's advisory board. They made the recommendations to the school's student media board after new editor Amanda Wilkins was selected. The story has been changed to reflect the correction.
Also due to an editing error, this story incorrectly attributes the following quote to Russell Witham: “I do not think anyone is ever really ready. You need to have a lot of experience. I think she can be ready, but she has a bit of a longer way to go.” The statement was spoken by former Editor-in-Chief Ty Johnson. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the errors.
The new editor of N.C. State’s student newspaper says that she hopes to restore staff confidence in the paper’s mission, despite senior staff members who remain skeptical.
Freshman photographer Amanda Wilkins takes over May 1 after being picked by the school’s student media board of directors from a pool of five candidates last week.
She comes into the position at a time of uncertainty. Earlier this year, Editor-in-Chief Ty Johnson was suspended due to his academic standing. After Johnson was removed, there was some debate as to who would step up to lead the paper.
“I understand that there is going to be a lot to learn, but I’ll be open to criticism and do whatever I can to become a great editor,” Wilkins said. “I possess both administrative and leadership skills such as communication, coordinating and analyzing systems.”
Wilkins faces a variety of challenges, said Saja Hindi, who was editor-in-chief before Johnson and who was tasked with leading a committee to make recommendations for future editors after his suspension.
Hindi presented her group’s recommendations to the student media board the day after Wilkins was interviewed for the position.
She said most of the suggestions had to do with giving the editor more ability to make decisions in areas such as the paper’s budget, staff training and hiring.
“There’s continuously increasing bureaucracy, and the students don’t feel like they’re in control,” Hindi said.
There is also lingering tension among some senior staffers who feel that the board that picked Wilkins did not take enough student feedback into account.
“They felt like the board wasn’t really listening,” Hindi said.
Wilkins said she plans to improve the paper’s image and address staff concerns. With the support of the administrative staff and her friends, she says that she will do the best she can.
“Through training and revamping the system, I’m hoping we will have a lot of people to come back and work for The Technician,” she said.
She says that she’s already making plans to deal with the budget, staff retention and news coverage.
Johnson said that he believes that Wilkins has the potential to be a successful editor, but that he’s concerned with her level of experience.
And both Hindi and Russell Witham, one of the paper’s three executive editors, said that the hours and responsibilities that come with the position make the job of editor a challenge for anyone.
“I do not think anyone is ever really ready. You need to have a lot of experience. I think she can be ready, but she has a bit of a longer way to go,” Witham said.
All of the student editors said their main goal was to make The Technician stronger.
“We’re going to continue and try to make this a student newspaper through putting out a decent paper and eventually getting back to the watchdog position,” Johnson said.
Monica Hill, director of the North Carolina Scholastic Media Association at UNC’s School of Journalism, said The Technician is already well-respected.
Hill said she hopes the problems with The Technician are only temporary because of its importance as a student publication.
“School newspapers are incredibly important as an information tool and as an education tool for students,” she said.
Contact the State & National Editor at statnat@unc.edu.
