From a college freshman uncertain about her career, to the editor-in-chief at the Argonaut, and now editor in chief at the Idaho Capital Sun, Christian Lords reflected her time working as a reporter for the Argonaut and becoming editor in chief shaped the kind of journalist she is today.
Lords was editor in chief for the Argonaut during the 2008-2009 academic school year. She got her degree in journalism but as a freshman wasn’t sure if it was the right choice for her. Not until one of her professors, Shawn O’Neal, urged her for months to apply for the Argonaut and she finally caved her sophomore year and became a reporter.
The Argonaut was a huge part of Lords’ life, she says she always found herself in the student media office between classes, it was where she loved to be. She eventually took an open sports editor position and became the summer editor in 2008. She’d been building up to apply for the editor-in-chief position at the Arg her entire junior year and excitedly received the title going into her senior year.
Lords remembers there were always tons of big new ideas she wanted to bring to the newsroom, but reflecting on them now, she says she wishes she had tried to keep things more of the same even though it is nice to put your stamp on things.
One thing Lords recalls having to adapt to was introducing a social media presence for the Argonaut. She remembers trying to navigate this new media landscape where audiences wanted their news online. The late 2000s is when the Argonaut began focusing on keeping their website consistently updated and figuring out which platforms, they needed to be on to reach the community.
Lords emphasizes how the Arg showed her the basics of how newsrooms worked, how to conduct an interview and improve her writing skills.
She also shared, “Some of my best memories at the University of Idaho were as editor in chief and being at the Argonaut.”
One of Lord’s favorite memories as editor in chief was celebrating the Argonaut’s 110th anniversary. She felt extremely grateful to hear past editor in chiefs stories and see what they were up to. What Lord found interesting was how older generations shared similar challenges to the ones she faced as editor in chief. She says multiple reporters recall there being persistent roadblocks with administrative stories.
That’s common in university newsrooms though. Lords thinks back to a time in 2009 when the university’s Program Prioritization Process was evaluating several programs and went through the difficult decision of dropping certain degrees.
The university was planning on dropping the physics program which became a controversial topic to write about, but Lord argues the Argonaut covered it better than the Daily News could have. Because the Argonaut gave physics students and administrators a voice, the PPP implemented better policy decisions when deciding which degree programs to drop.
Lords still love to keep up with the Argonaut and grab a print copy when she visits Moscow, usually during homecoming week or for the College of Letters Arts and Social Sciences advisory board meeting. She notes that she follows the Arg on social media and relies on student media to help her understand a community she values and loves and loves to support student journalists.
Lord has worked in several different newsrooms but working in one that solely focuses on state politics has changed the game. It’s important to have people ask and report on big questions in Idaho’s politics, “It’s a privilege to tell Idahoan’s stories.” She talks about how much she loves her job but admits it can be stressful overseeing all of Idaho’s politics. So, she reminds herself that journalists are mirrors of what’s happening in society, and she plays a very important role in reflecting on different events and issues happening in a community.
She says being an editor is very rewarding because it makes her feel like “a mini expert”, constantly learning new things and never experiencing a dull moment, “I would not be editor in chief at the Capital Sun if it wasn’t for my previous experience as editor in chief, period … I wouldn’t be the same person, editor, or Idaho journalist if the Argonaut didn’t show me the fundamentals of being a reporter.”
Alyssa Johnson can be reached at [email protected]