Is it harder to say hello or good-bye?

Writing my incoming editor letter, I was still in awe at getting the position and nervous about continuing the level of excellence and care previous Editor-in-Chief’s cultivated. Saying “hello” and putting my name out there for our readers in a leadership position was a mix of emotions that I hadn’t experienced before. It started out difficult, but by the time it was published on the website I was better for experiencing the tumultuous process.

Now that my time as Editor-in-Chief is coming to a close and I’m saying “good-bye,” there is still awe and a potent mix of emotions.

But I’m no longer nervous.

COVID-19 was not a small obstacle, and in no way were we as a team or individuals completely prepared for it. As a newsgroup, we turned the challenge of distance into an opportunity to dedicate ourselves to journalism that provided answers, clarity and unity to our readers.

After reconstructing what The Clipper looked like, learning to run a newsroom and sourcing from a strictly online format, we were a stronger and closer team. Individually we learned how resourceful we all were and created an environment to believe in ourselves.

This took the form of diverse and emotional topics ranging from budget cuts and layoffs, confronting the stigma of women’s health, comprehensive COVID-19 coverage, Everett hockey team the Silvertips using EvCC’s dorms, to the memorial of a beloved anthropology professor.

Even though we were distant from our team members and our sources and lacked a print publication,The Clipper grew substantially. From Sept. to June we had nearly 40,000 new users to our website and social media pages. We also earned 23 awards from the Pacific Northwest Association of Journalism Education. This is the most awards we have won in a single year since entering the multistate competition.

The Clipper and its staff have helped me become more than I thought possible of myself. I’ve grown as a leader, a writer and a student. It has been an honor to lead this powerhouse of a team and help further The Clipper’s legacy.

I don’t know what’s the greater challenge, hello or good-bye, but I chose to continue the lessons taught from this year and reframe the challenge into an opportunity to say thank you.

So, thank you to all of The Clipper staff past and present, and our readers for your unwavering support.

I’ll see you later.

Sincerely,
Nichole Bascue, Editor-in-Chief 2020-21