The Student Publications Board selected the next Daily Lobo editor-in-chief Friday.
Kyle Land is a current news editor for the Lobo and will officially take office as the editor-in-chief for the 2018-2019 school year on April 30.
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Land came to the University of New Mexico to pursue international studies, but switched his major to history with a minor in English.
He began writing for the Lobo a little over one year ago, starting at the music desk and eventually transitioning to a news reporter and then a news editor. He continues to write and edit for the music desk.
His love for writing began at a young age and is what first interested him in journalism — it was also a way to get more involved in the community, he said.
“Journalism (is) more immediate than other forms of writing that I’ve worked with, in that once you write an article, you can instantly see the effect it has on your country and your community as a whole, and I think I was really attracted to that,” Land said.
Although he wrote for his high school newspaper, he said it took a push from his boyfriend to apply for the Lobo, when then Editor-in-Chief David Lynch suggested he write for the music desk.
During his time as a reporter and editor for the Lobo, he said he has learned thorough knowledge of AP Style, how to properly conduct an interview, how to be a better journalist and has gained the confidence to pursue journalism as a career.
“I think it’s really intimidating when you start because you see people writing these big awesome stories, and you think that you’ll never be able to do that kind of stuff,” he said. “But quickly if you just keep writing little stories, when those big ones do come up, you’ll be totally ready for them.”
Current Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Sanchez said working with Land has been an overall positive experience, and he is a coherent decision maker, as well as a skilled reporter and editor.
Sanchez said her time in office has helped her become a better person overall, as far as decision making and her journalism skills go.
“(Holding the position of editor-in-chief) gives you such a unique opportunity to find this...confidence in yourself and pride in other people that work with you,” she said. “I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished this year, and I’m really grateful for all the people I get to work with.”
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She said her advice to Land is that you cannot save the world in one day, and he cannot do everything — but he can do a lot and make a difference.
She added that Land is a strong leader and also somebody a lot of people in the newsroom respect.
“He’s always positive, and I think that he will be a very successful person in this position, and I’m confident in his ability to problem solve, lead and improve the Daily Lobo,” Sanchez said.
Land said the biggest challenge he thinks he will face as editor-in-chief is the frequent turnover of reporters, as students usually don’t write for the paper all four years, all while keeping up with the quality of reporting that has been illustrated recently.
“I think we’ve done a really good job of (covering big topics) this semester — the challenge will be to keep that momentum going into next year,” he said.
As for the future of the Lobo, Land said he would like to expand on the multimedia platforms that are already present, in the form of more videos and additional podcasts.
“I think we have the capability as a newsroom to pursue more creative fields,” he said.
Land said he is looking forward to working with the various desks at the Lobo, as well as hearing what the other editors would like to see, improve or change at the paper.
“I’m super excited about the future of the Lobo,” Land said. “I think we’ve done an amazing job this semester, I think we’ve tried so many new things that the Lobo hasn’t done before, and I’m very excited to see what we do in the future. And I hope that the readers see that excitement, and they show it with their enthusiasm too.”
Madison Spratto is a news editor at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Madi_Spratto.
