New 'IDS' editor selected

After an intense application process and daunting public interviews, the Indiana Daily Student has chosen its new editor in chief, fifth-year senior Josh Sanburn, for the 2005 spring semester.\n"It was something that I have been thinking about for a long time. Since I wrote my first story, I have always thought about what it would be like to be editor in chief," he said. "I finally realized that my desire to do the job and my ability to do the job came together." \nAfter completing an application outlining their plans for the future of the paper, Sanburn and competitor for the position, fifth-year senior Katie Schoenbaechler, went in front of a nine-member publications board which asked them to answer questions on the fly. The board included three IU students, three professional journalists and three IU faculty members.\n"Members of the pub board fired questions at them and they had to answer them on their toes," board member and senior Gavin Lesnick said. "Both did very well at what must have been a very nerve-wracking and difficult experience."\nThe session was opened to the public and was attended by 30 members of the IU community. In the end, Sanburn was passed the torch.\n"Josh seemed to have a little bit more thought into his application and would be an excellent coach for his management team and desk editors," said Dave Adams, student media publisher and board member. \nSanburn has held many potions with the IDS including reporter, campus editor and managing editor two times. He has also worked in the marketing department as the marketing manager. \nThe editor in chief is responsible for the paper as a whole and chooses the managing editors who then choose the desk editors, as written in his application for editor in chief, Sanburn said.\n"I have realized that the role of editor in chief is to set the tone for the staff from day one. The editor conveys to his or her staff that they are in charge, but doesn't get in the way of good writers and good editors doing their jobs."\nSanburn has many visions for the future of the IDS including: reorganizing some of the desks within the newsroom, such as the photo desk. He would also like to have a daytime editor for the Web page who would post breaking news on the Web site throughout the day. Furthermore, Sanburn seeks to enlarge the Nation-World section to inform students more on government issues and how those issues effect them, he said. In addition, he wants to make the art department stronger with more pictures and graphics, Sanburn said.\n"I want to give students a reason to pick up the paper," Sanburn said.\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.