The Emerald Media Group Board of Directors has selected Tristin Hoffman to be the 2024-25 editor-in-chief of the Daily Emerald, stepping into office this June.
Hoffman is a current junior majoring in journalism with a minor in law. She started her journalism career by joining her high school paper at the suggestion of a friend. Over time, she took on the role of editor-in-chief and led her team through the challenges of the pandemic. She realized she wanted to join the Daily Emerald after being inspired by the investigative reporting from other student publications. She spoke with the then-news editor during her sophomore year at the university, who encouraged her to pursue the position of news editor, which she eventually secured.
“What’s fun is the reporting process for me,” Hoffman said. “Just the overall process of how to best report on the story differently from other organizations or other reporters — it’s like being competitive with yourself and others. I love the challenge of trying to think outside of the box.”
Pursuing that passion for investigative reporting, Hoffman started an investigations team with a handful of reporters she believed “showed a lot of promise with the way they had a critical eye” for news. Because the team was new, it was a learning process for everyone, especially for Hoffman. Transitioning into the position as an investigative news editor meant adapting to new responsibilities, she said, which differed from her other role as news editor — instead of getting news out as soon as possible, she knew she had to be strategic about surfacing that information.
“It’s playing the long game. It’s not getting that quick hit — it’s sitting down and thinking about the ethics behind journalism a lot more,” Hoffman said. “It’s just a lot of thinking about the impact you have as a journalist for the world.”
The current editor-in-chief, Evan Reynolds, reflected on his time and struggles as a news editor with a small news team. As editor-in-chief, he wanted to revitalize the news desk to regularly produce breaking stories that students could immediately turn to while actively engaging with the community.
“To my amazement, it has surpassed my wildest expectations in the past year,” Reynolds said. “We’re regularly producing news stories and hearing about things. We launched an investigative team which was super exciting, and with that, you see Tristin already delivering results before she could even step into the editor-in-chief role. That’s something that wouldn’t have been possible without that initiative.”
Hoffman has a goal of increasing recognition of the Daily Emerald on campus, and she believes leveraging social media is key. She plans to collaborate with social media editors to foster creativity and ensure a wide variety of content.
She aspires to cultivate a sense of community within and outside the newsroom. Inside, she plans to organize game nights and increase her presence in the office to engage more people in conversation and collaboration. Beyond the newsroom, she hopes to strengthen partnerships with BIPOC student clubs, not only to diversify the publication’s content, but also to motivate them to participate as writers and amplify their voices.
Hoffman also hopes to inspire reporters from all sections of the newsroom to embrace new challenges, like tackling news reporting or making public records requests that can enhance their articles. She feels that these skills are valuable, and her goal is to empower reporters to broaden their skill sets and feel confident in facing any task that comes their way.
“You’re the most impactful when you inspire people in this job. It takes someone who’s really passionate and committed,” Reynolds said. “I’m glad that the person who is taking over next year is someone who I know can and will do the job to the best of her ability, and that’s Tristin.”
Reynolds witnessed Hoffman’s efforts to enhance the news desk, creating a vibrant culture with a cohesive team spirit. He believes she will bring this contribution to the broader newsroom upon assuming the position.
“It’s a longstanding tradition with life and being EIC that you come into the Emerald or life ready to learn, then you experience everything and then you reflect on what you’ve learned, and ultimately you teach others,” Hoffman said. “That’s where I’m at in the process, and it’s cool to be at that point where I’m teaching others but I’m still learning too.”
Reynolds said he is grateful to have worked with an amazing team this year. Every year, an editor-in-chief takes on the job and makes their own mark. However, Reynolds and Hoffman each said that the Daily Emerald is not solely determined by who holds the position of editor-in-chief. At the end of the day, the level of commitment and effort each staff member puts into it determines its success. If they are dedicated and strive for its success, the team will thrive collectively.
“I hope the staff at the Emerald recognizes the great work they’re doing,” Hoffman said. “Everyone’s doing such a great job, and I hope that people realize that they’re on their way to great careers of storytelling and hearing other people.”
