Perspective will push for more hard-hitting news columns and editorials more frequently.

I plan to turn Perspective into the section readers want to go to when they pick up the Northern Star by helping make the opinion pieces more relevant and interesting.

Columns

As a former news editor, I will help my columnists write more newsworthy columns. I will also pursue more engaging content for online readers.

I plan to incorporate quizzes and live blogging to put Perspective on the map digitally. Readers will be able to interact and share their opinions outside of letters to the editor, which are always encouraged.

Columns will be more researched and will have more sources to back up the writer’s opinions. Columnists will also produce pieces such as Pass/Fails and InFocuses online every week to keep the section fresh.

My goal is to make columns the first thing people go to to get student perspectives on what is going on at NIU.

Editorials

Since I’ve been here, the Northern Star has had top-notch editorials. In February, the staff won two editorial awards at the Illinois College Press Association confrence. There has always been something to write about and have an opinion on in NIU and DeKalb.

My goal for editorials is to not only keep up the tradition of being great but also bring a little bit more to the table.

The first editorial of the semester, published Monday, was about how the number of journalists being killed has risen and it’s unacceptable for someone to be harmed for exercising his or her right to freedom of expression. With the editorial was a timeline of some journalists who have been killed in the line of duty since 2004 and a sidebar reminding readers of the First Amendment. By creating a timeline and box to go along with the editorial, readers were more visually engaged with the editorial and received more background information in an appealing way.

I plan to include photos, timelines or cartoons with every editorial — and column, for that matter.