Morgan Krakow has been chosen as the Ethos Editor in Chief for the 2017-2018 academic year.
In June, Krakow will take over the post from current Editor in Chief Jordyn Brown. To prepare for the transition, she will work closely with Brown on leadership responsibilities, including facilitating staff meetings and story placement for the summer 2017 issue of Ethos.
After Ethos staff and the Emerald Media Group Board of Directors interviewed multiple competitive candidates, Krakow was chosen to fill the position. “As a board, we were really impressed by her inspiration for journalism,” says Emerald Media Board Chair Ben Schorzman. He says they were impressed by how she “conveyed a sense of confidence” and “her willingness to take risks. She talks about how she wants to innovate and push what Ethos is and does online specifically.”
Krakow is from Kansas City, Kansas and plans to use high school journalism experience and passion for international studies to build a publication that is innovative and informational.
Her interest in journalism began as the editor for her high school newspaper, The Harbinger, where she led a team of 80 reporters, editors, advertising executives and photographers. She developed reporting, leadership, and design skills publishing the 40-page, bi-weekly newspaper that was awarded the 2014-Pacemaker from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA).
She is currently a sophomore pursuing degrees in journalism at the School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) and international studies. She is also a student in the Clark Honors College and has been with Ethos since fall 2016. For the winter and spring 2017 issues, she developed a series focusing on freedom of speech. She first interviewed international students about issues of censorship in places ranges from Ethiopia to China.
For the winter issue, she wrote a piece exploring issues of freedom of expression on campus, talking to professors who are blacklisting for their views, conservative students fighting to have their views heard, and even President Michael Schill. “I learned a lot about what it means to invest months into an issue that’s important and how to contrast a national conversation with a local one,” she says.
In addition to her work with Ethos, Krakow is a videographer with OR Magazine, the iPad publication out of the SOJC. She is also currently serving as the vice chair of Athletic and Contracts Finance Committee as part of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO).
As Ethos joined the Emerald Media group last year, this is the first time that the Board of Directors has helped decide the editor of Ethos. “As a board, we’re really happy and thrilled with how this process has gone,” says Chair Schorzman. “We are all inspired by the two candidates and the level of work that they presented to us. It gave us a lot of hope and enthusiasm for what student journalists are doing today and what Ethos could be.”
Krakow says she wants Ethos staff to continue to publish an award-winning print magazine while venturing into online and multimedia storytelling. “Our readers will be able to engage with our stories in a variety of platforms,” she says. “I hope to take risks. I’m excited and motivated by the talented team I get to work with in the coming months.”
