The Texas Associated Press Managing Editors named The Daily Texan “College Paper of the Year” for the third year in a row on April 7. The tower will shine orange April 11 in honor of the award.
Aleksander Chan, BJ ’12 and former managing editor of The Daily Texan, attributed the Texan’s success partially to the enterprise department. The enterprise department led by Audrey White, former managing editor and a Plan II Honors senior wrote in-depth and investigative stories much longer than the average report.
“It set us apart from the other Texas college newspapers,” Chan said. “We devoted the energy, time and resources into some in-depth reporting that is really hard to do in a daily college newspaper.”
This included in-depth reporting on Fisher v. Texas, a Supreme Court case that will decide whether UT’s admission policy can continue taking race into consideration. The Daily Texan sent journalism and sociology junior Andrew Messamore to Washington to cover the oral arguments.
Chan also attributed the Texan’s success to an improved digital presence. While managing editor, Chan restructured the Texan’s web department and created the digital director position, which has been filled by public relations sophomore Hayley Fick.
“[Fick] was able to work a position whose primary goal was to make the website experience as great as the daily print experience, if not better,” Chan said. “It’s important to have that kind of position going forward as the Texan tries to move to a more digital-first mentality.”
A version of this story originally appeared in The Daily Texan.
