Meet the Commuter's Next Editor: Justin Bolger

This year Justin Bolger was managing editor of a Commuter staff that earned 15 awards at the annual statewide journalism competition. He's looking to raise the bar even higher as editor-in-chief.

On Wednesday, LBCC's Student Publications Committee appointed Bolger the next editor-in-chief at the Commuter. He will succeed Max Brown, whose tenure will wrap up with the newspaper's last issue of the school year on June 2.

The Commuter's editor-in-chief manages the daily activities of the student newspaper beginning in the summer and continuing through the school year. The duties of newspaper's top editor include:

* Setting the editorial direction of the paper.
* Appointing the managing the newspaper's staff of editors, reporters and photographers.
* Coordinating the work of the staff, including assigning and editing stories and photos.
* Leading staff meetings and other newspaper activities.
* Representing the newspaper in the college community.

In collaboration with Brown and other staffers at the paper, Bolger focused on expanding the coverage of campus news, focusing heavily on LBCC events, staff and students. In interviewing for the top job, Bolger said he would like next year's staff to maintain the paper's commitment to campus coverage but also expand interactions with readers, including more interactivity on the newspaper's website as well as more diversity of opinion in the pages of the printed edition.

Earlier this month, the Commuter earned 15 awards in the annual Collegiate Newspaper Contest organized by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Bolger earned a first-place award for editorial writing. LBCC and the Commuter hosted this year's Collegiate Day, ONPA's annual college journalism conference and awards program.

The 10-member Student Publications Committee consists of LBCC students, faculty and staff and meets each spring to interview editor-in-chief applicants and appoint a new Commuter editor.

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