From the Editor-in-Chief | An eye on the present, a cursor on the future

    It seems like a tough act to follow and then, all of a sudden, it's outdone itself again. The news cycle: At the Daily, it makes our lives easier but keeps us low on sleep. Even before the university's infamous embezzlement scandal had wrapped itself up this summer, we found out that Bernard Madoff had left Tufts short $20 million.
    But if there is one thing that has seen just as much forward momentum in recent years as the news cycle, it is the Internet — something that  has the power to either thrill or demoralize anyone in journalism.
    It is with one eye trained on our obligation as Tufts' leading and most consistent news source, and the other on our need to continue riding the ever-mounting wave known as the Web, that we have defined our duties for this semester. Two years ago we trotted out our new-look Web site: brighter, easier to navigate and — most importantly — ripe for blogs, videos, audio and the other new media components that have come to define today's journalistic landscape.
    But without any real infrastructure for consistent production of online-only content, our Web site has wasted opportunities — posting no more than a video here, an interview clip there and a blog post maybe once every few days.
    That is why the implementation of a solid New Media Department is this semester's major initiative for reform. It's clear that the only way the Daily can make sure to stay relevant in the future, and to stand up to the forces of competition that inevitably arise even within a community as small as ours, is with a Web presence that draws clicks and transcends the capabilities of a piece of paper.
    This semester, our fresh New Media Department plans on unveiling the Five O'Clock Foreshadow, a podcast that is recorded in the newsroom at 5 p.m. the night before each paper comes out and summarizes the next day's top stories. We will beef up our blogs, particularly The Scene, which covers arts on campus and in the region. And with a full staff committed entirely to the creation of videos, audio, slideshows, maps and the like, we will seek to make our Web site a more involving and exciting destination than before.
    We started down this path with the semester's inaugural issue on Sept. 2, supplementing our four-page, pull-out Matriculation Guide with interactive maps, an audio feature and slideshows — choose-your-own-adventure tools that you couldn't find in print.
    We are hopeful that we can continue to put out an increasingly engaging Web product, but we do need help. If turning the day's news and features into new media content interests you, please make sure to find your way to our general interest meeting on Sept. 16.
    If you are more interested in simply figuring out what that construction that wakes you up at 8 a.m. each morning is for, what the football team's prospects for a title are this year or which campus play you should see this weekend, just head over to tuftsdaily.com and join the conversation.

Sincerely,
Giovanni Russonello
Editor-in-Chief