An interim editor in chief will lead The Hatchet into its 120th volume starting Monday in place of Managing Editor Jaden DiMauro, who was elected to the position in February.
Senior News Editor Zach Blackburn will serve as the next editor in chief when The Hatchet kicks off its upcoming volume next week after DiMauro notified editors earlier this month of his plans to step back from the job for personal reasons. Blackburn, who was set to work as managing editor in the upcoming volume, will steer the newspaper until The Hatchet’s staff elects a permanent editor in chief during summer break.
The Hatchet’s Board of Directors elected Blackburn earlier this month to serve as the president of Hatchet Publications, Inc. effective Monday. In the case Hatchet staff elects a new editor in chief, the board will decide whether to approve them as president.
Junior Nick Pasion, who served alongside Blackburn as a senior news editor this past year, will assume managing editor responsibilities, which he was initially slated to split with Blackburn in the next volume.
Blackburn, a junior political communication major from West Columbia, South Carolina, has directed news coverage of the decision to arm GW Police Department officers, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ withdrawal from teaching a GW Law seminar and the selection process for GW’s next moniker. He previously served as The Hatchet’s metro editor, covering the University’s dining transformation, the implementation of U-Pass and a mold outbreak that temporarily shut down Townhouse Row.
Blackburn has familiarized himself with sections across The Hatchet during his time on the newspaper, covering women’s basketball’s playoff run in Wilmington, Delaware and racking up numerous culture bylines that span movie reviews, Dish of the Week articles and more.
The Hatchet, which will enter its 120th volume Monday, is an editorially and financially independent student newspaper serving the GW and Foggy Bottom communities. It is the second oldest D.C. newspaper after The Washington Post.
