From the beginning, newspapers have told you what’s going
on in the world. They were there to cover Sept. 11. They were there
to tell you UCLA’s chancellor was stepping down. They were
there to tell you your horoscope on your birthday.
But simply telling you isn’t enough anymore. Instead of a
monologue, today’s technology allows us to make news a
dialogue.
Though the printing press was new in 1440s and the Internet was
new in the 1970s, we haven’t yet seen journalists embrace new
technologies to their fullest.
Most of the time, bloggers start doing really cool things with
the Internet and news organizations follow along slowly.
For example, the Daily Bruin is online. You can read our stories
from anywhere in the world. You can e-mail us from anywhere in the
world. But that’s not nearly the best we can do with the
Internet.
Being online can redefine the way people communicate. It can
create discussions and give people the power to take action.
Newspapers have always told you the news, but that’s
mostly because until recently they really couldn’t do much
more. This generation of college students has practically grown up
on the Internet. The Daily Bruin is in position to get with the
times.
The best way I can think to provide information to you is the
way you want it ““ whether that’s in the paper, on TV or
online ““ and we’re more equipped than ever to start
doing that.
We want to break away from the tradition of writing a story and
calling it a day. With so many forms of media available, we will
present the news how it works best and how you want to see it.
Video segments from our new department, DBTV, will provide
another side to our coverage of UCLA’s important events.
In print and online, we will write less when less is needed, use
visuals when that’s the best way to tell a story and give you
interactive graphics on our Web site.
We also want our readers (and now viewers) to participate
more.
Our new dailybruin.com editors will soon introduce a new Daily
Bruin Web site that will give you the opportunity to respond to us,
talk to each other and get the information the way you like
best.
You will be able to comment directly on our stories, write your
own stories and hold discussions. Some of our staffers (including
me) will have blogs so we can connect more directly with you.
Our news mission is not a selfish one ““ our goal is inform
you ““ so we should do more than just tell you about the
chancellor, and we certainly don’t want to tell you your
horoscope.
Instead, you should be a part of the news. Tell us what to
report on, tell us what not to report on, do your own reporting,
create discussion, and then go out into the world and make use of
it all.
It’s accepted practice in journalism not to use the
second-person in stories. The reader (or viewer) isn’t really
a part of news events, the thinking goes. Although we won’t
be abandoning our news principles, we will be working to put you
into the process of making the news.
Welcome to the paper.
Schenck is the 2006-2007 editor in chief. He reads his mail
at
jschenck@media.ucla.edu.