With the new academic year started, the Northern Star is reaffirming its commitment to excellence by bringing the student body news in multiple facets, a change going beyond the scope of our print product for the convenience of our readers.

The way society consumes news content has transformed radically in the past decade, transitioning from physical newspapers to digital articles. The Editorial Board is cognisant of this change and recognizes a need for adaptation in our newsroom. The change is indicative of a larger culture shift focusing on news consumption from online sources as well as the renewed relevance of visual storytelling.

We are launching several new multimedia avenues to make our content more easily and frequently accessible to readers. Several podcasts will be unveiled over the next few weeks, including one focused on detailed NIU Athletics coverage and another centered on the local music scene.

Additionally, we are going to be adding video components to a selection of our stories; students can view video content on our website and social media platforms. The idea behind adding crisp, colorful video stems from our vision of bringing stories to life. While our printed words provide context, videos supply quick snippets of information.

These new avenues are meant to make news more accessible to the student body and those who rely on the Star for informative and entertaining purposes.

In addition, we would like to call on our readers to engage more with us. We are here as a vessel for student opinion and voice. Our job is to provide accurate information to you, and in our current social climate, engagement is more important than ever. We strongly urge readers to submit letters to the editor on issues we have reported on that they feel passionate about. Submission guidelines can be found on the Northern Star’s website and will be updated for ease of access to our readers.

Since the paper’s founding in 1899, we have been committed to serving the NIU and DeKalb communities with investigative reporting, cutting-edge sports coverage, enticing entertainment columns and strong, opinionated editorials. We thought it appropriate to use our first editorial of the semester not to take a stance on a topic, but to stand with our readers. Whether we publish editorials addressing the NIU administration or delving into a social issue, we fight for our readers and have their best interests in mind. Our commitment to excellence exemplifies our journalistic integrity and acts as our promise to readers: We will hear your words, tell your story and be your voice.