5 things to know about Alison Krug, Daily Tar Heel editor-in-chief candidate

The Daily Tar Heel will select a new editor-in-chief on Saturday. Alison Krug is the copy chief and has worked at the DTH for three years.

1. She takes care of the copy desk betta fish.

“I got a fish over the summer as a way to lure people in and notice that the Copy Desk existed,” Krug said. 

Each fish’s name is a combination of a U.S. president’s name and a fish pun, and they’re all treated like family.

The current fish, Swimmy Carter, replaced the late Gerald Fjord, who is currently buried beneath a tree in The Daily Tar Heel’s parking lot.

2. She wants working at the DTH to be a valuable learning experience.

When Courtney Jacobs, Alison’s assistant, first started at the DTH, she found that asking questions as a new staffer was difficult and often frightening. 

But with Krug at the ship’s helm, Jacobs feels at ease when asking for help. She said Krug puts in extra effort to make sure that everyone feels comfortable coming to her for advice.

“She’s so conscientious about the younger staffers, the new staffers and making them feel welcome and like that they can ask these questions and that it’s not dumb if they can’t remember how to log into Gryphon after their third shift,” Jacobs said.

3. She came to UNC specifically to work for the DTH.

Krug’s love for the DTH began even before she got to college. When former staffer Rachel Schmitt, who happened to be the editor-in-chief in Krug’s high school journalism class, said she reported for the DTH and loved it, Krug followed suit.

Although she didn’t find her niche in reporting like she expected to, she quickly found a home at the copy desk, where she has now worked two semesters as a staffer, one as an assistant, two as a desk co-chief and two as the chief of her desk.

4. She also wants to create a DTH version of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts.

Another major part of Krug’s platform is increasing the presence of the arts community in the DTH, particularly by reintroducing Diversions, which focused on counter-culture topics, including music and the arts.

Krug imagines a resurgence of the section both in print and online and wants to invite local bands to come to the office and record song sessions in a DTH version of NPR’s popular Tiny Desk Concerts series.

5. She genuinely cares about her fellow staffers.

According to Krug, her favorite part of being an editor has been working with staffers. Krug would like to take even further steps to take care of her staff.

She wants to create an official harassment policy, require One Act training and provide an exit questionnaire for resigning staffers to figure out what she can change to create a better work environment — all of which will help the well-being of the staff and provide a sense of family and safety within the office.

Managing Editor Mary Tyler March said an important quality in a leader is a big heart. “She has a pretty good relationship with everyone she comes into contact to and is a very kind soul,” March said. 

university@dailytarheel.com