The GW Hatchet will begin publishing online this fall as part of a plan to engage more readers both by expanded coverage and easier accessibility.
Internet readers can check out the new edition immediately after printed copies hit the newsstands.
World Wide Web surfers will be able to scan through The Hatchet’s archives – a feature Hatchet editors eagerly anticipate to replace exhuming back issues from the morgue.
“It’s exciting to know students on other campuses will be able to read our paper,” said Heather Hare, arts editor.
Not just students, but prospective employers and advertisers will be able to acquaint themselves with The Hatchet, points out Editor in Chief Tyson Trish.
“It’s a good tool because our writers can tell possible employers to read their work on the Web,” he said.
Trish envisions the site growing increasingly interactive, with students answering informal poll questions and submitting letters to the editor all via the Internet.
Featuring GW buff and blue accents and what Trish describes as the new, “pleasing to the eye” look of the paper, the Internet address offers a taste of design changes The Hatchet is implementing in the printed edition.
A “simple,” streamlined design will be open to more white space – and to innovative layouts, Trish said.
Prior to being elected editor in chief, Trish was The Hatchet’s visuals editor.
“Not being as steeped in a news background gives him a cleaner perspective, new ideas and the freedom to question more,” said Megan Stack, features editor.
An appealing design will be coupled with a concerted effort to beef up in-depth and features coverage.
The Hatchet will implement monthly planning meetings to bring together writers, photographers, the managing editor and editor in chief.
“There are so many things on this campus we’ve never explored, and sometimes we rely too much on formula news stories. Now we’ll have more of a chance to develop news features and to give writers a chance to work on something they can really be proud of,” said Becky Neilson, news editor.
Special projects will be hammered out for each month from the editorial board’s story ideas, and the angles and visuals fleshed out at the monthly meetings.
“The meetings will get us coordinated – from the most senior editors to the first-time writers. We can all get involved in making sure the stories people really like to read aren’t getting lost in the shuffle,” Trish said.
Organization will be key, Trish says, and to that end, the editors will begin the year with a two-day retreat to West Virginia – to enjoy the outdoors and each other’s company – and finish plans for the upcoming school year.
The Hatchet’s Internet address will be https://www.gwhatchet.com
