The Miami Hurricane is making its debut as a tabloid paper this year.
Since a broadsheet can be difficult to read while walking on campus, the staff hopes that the versatility of the tabloid size will be more reader friendly. In other words, one can read and take a tabloid paper everywhere.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. A college paper should be a tabloid,” said Editor-in-Chief Jordan Rodack.
In addition to the size there will also be some other major changes.
The Opinion section will be expanded to two pages allowing for staff editorials as well as more campus opinions.
As far as the front page goes, “We’re hoping to make it as attractive as possible,” said Rodack. “In the past the paper has been very gray. We plan to improve this year by putting as much art and color on both the front and back pages. The back page will now be the sports section.
“In essence, it will be our second front page because it will have the same look and feel. Hopefully [this] will draw more people into the paper also.”
The Style section will broaden its focus according to Rodack. Instead of concentrating strictly on entertainment, it will include articles about UM and Miami culture, and everything in between.
Other tidbits Rodack mentioned for this year include a special section made for the entertainment and enjoyment of the readers. This section will feature crossword puzzles, cartoon strips and perhaps an advice column and horoscopes.
“When a person thinks of a tabloid the National Enquirer may come to mind; however, a tabloid is just a change in size,” Rodack said of the change. “We don’t intend to sensationalize our stories.”
Although the change to tabloid style will not mean sensationalized stories, the paper will be different on the inside as well as the outside.
“We’re not only trying to change what the paper looks like; we want to become the best paper we can be and that means getting the best staff possible,” said Rodack. “We intend to cut down on errors and give our readers the most accurate and up to date coverage of UM.”
Rodack said the changes are an evolving process which will probably take some time to complete.
“This is not the end,” Rodack said. “This is just the beginning of what the Hurricane plans to change in the upcoming years. In the future we hope to publish a paper five days a week.”