A few days ago, I took down the newspapers that covered my office walls.
They were the papers I looked to for inspiration and my managing editor looked to as evidence that I was insane.
They're down. It hasn't really hit me yet.
You know, the fact that this is my last issue. The last time I'll tell my reporters they need to rewrite their stories. The last time I'll be in this newsroom until 1 a.m. The last time I'll have another shot at improving a paper that has literally become my life.
Excuse me if I'm a bit sentimental, but after working with most of my staff for nearly a year on issue after issue, it's a little hard not to be.
I signed on to be editor a bit hesitantly. I didn't really think I was all that qualified (I still don't know that I was), and the task of putting out a daily paper seemed just a little bit daunting.
Thank God for Kristin Gilger, our former director of student media. She can talk you in to just about anything. I'm glad she persuaded me to apply for this gig.
Flash forward two semesters and 142 papers later, I wouldn't give up this experience for anything. Well ... almost anything.
I'm proud of my staff and the progress we've made. Together we accomplished my one and only true goal: We left The State Press better than we found it. I know we did that; there's not a doubt in my mind.
In the first issue we printed last semester, the editorial board made a few promises to our readers.
We told you that we would be a major player in campus dialogue.
We told you we would expand in-house content.
We told you we would constantly re-examine our coverage.
We told you we would write about the things you care about.
Trust me, I never forgot those promises, and while we may have fallen short from time to time, we kept you, the reader, at the heart of all of our decisions.
While it's hard to let go, knowing that I'm leaving the paper in the hands of the very capable Kristi Eaton makes it much easier. I don't know what she has planned, but I have no doubt that she'll do next year what we did this year, leaving the paper better than she found it.
As for me, it feels good knowing I brought The State Press one step closer to being placed on somebody else's wall.
Best,
Ryan Kost
The State Press
Editor in Chief, fall '06 - spring '07
