North Texas Daily

In my first letter from the editor back in January, I emphasized the tenacity of the North Texas Daily and our ability to adapt, overcome and continue on as a newspaper staff. While so much around us has changed, that aspect has not. As we navigate another semester filled with questions, uncertainty, changes and yet another “new normal,” one thing is certain: the Daily will be here to serve the community. 

For me, this is my ninth and final semester with the Daily. When I first got to UNT back in 2018, I had the goal of working with the Daily for eight semesters. Now, with a couple of summer terms in the mix, I have surpassed that goal. In the spring I will be moving on to a semester of clinical teaching before I graduate in May. I am so thankful for everything I have learned and experienced in my time here, as I will be able to take all of it into my future career. I cannot wait to see what this last time around holds, but I am very optimistic.

With COVID-19 precautions taken, we held our orientation in person — along with a virtual streaming option for accessibility — a few weeks ago. The energy and atmosphere were drastically different. It was great to experience that again. At the start of each semester, I am happy and excited to see what the Daily can do, but in all of my time here, I have never been more excited for a semester than now. This issue marks the first full in-person print night for our editorial board since pre-COVID-19, and while we are not yet in a post-COVID-19 world, it is nice to have our staff back in the office. 

This semester’s editorial board is a good mix of new faces and veteran returners. I am very pleased and grateful for this staff. I am confident in their abilities as both editors and student leaders. The majority of the Daily‘s staff consists of volunteer reporters, photographers and illustrators. After meeting and talking with different people, I can see we have a volunteer staff full of talent, potential and eagerness. We could not do what we do without the team effort from everyone involved with the Daily. 

This semester, we will continue to cover topics and events surrounding both the university and the Denton community. We strive to always be better than we were the week before — something any staff member reading has heard me say one too many times. A few reporters have already pitched big projects for us to work on and cover this fall, including a few different investigative pieces. 

Next, I want to say thank you to everyone who reads our content, whether you are a regular on ntdaily.com, or if you only read one story from us. Thank you to everyone who interacts with our content, both out of praise or support and with voicing displeasure or disagreements. However, while the Daily does appreciate all feedback, I do kindly ask you to remember the people you are responding to are real humans — as Harry Styles said, treat people with kindness.

Story tips or pitches, correction requests and letters to the editor are highly encouraged and can be sent to NorthTexasDaily@unt.edu. 

So, as we dust off our office desks in Sycamore Hall and begin another semester of growing, learning and providing quality content, I want to remind everyone:

Support student media. 

Support student journalists.

Support print news.

Support the Daily.

Featured Image: Editor-in-chief Kiara St. Clair holds a copy of the Daily outside of Sycamore hall on Aug. 31, 2021. Photo by Meredith Holser