Medill junior Lily Ogburn will be the next editor in chief of The Daily Northwestern, the paper’s publisher announced Tuesday.

Ogburn, a current print managing editor, has previously served as the illustrations editor, assistant city editor and staff editor. 

During summer 2024, Ogburn was both a news intern at the Cincinnati CityBeat and a multimedia intern at Foreign Policy. 

She has also previously interned at the Cincinnati Magazine and worked as a national security reporter for the Medill News Service as a part of NU’s Medill on the Hill program.

“I’m excited to get to work because The Daily has helped me get to where I am today, and I’m hoping to continue to cultivate a lot of great reporters here and a great culture,” Ogburn said.

Ogburn will assume the position starting in Winter Quarter 2025 and serve until the end of Spring Quarter 2025. She will succeed Medill senior Jacob Wendler, who has been the editor in chief for Spring and Fall Quarter 2024.

Students Publishing Company Board of Directors Chair John Byrne said the board is “very much looking forward” to Ogburn’s term as editor in chief.

“We were impressed with her ideas on guiding the newsroom into a further transition from our traditional print newspaper to a variety of digital and multimedia offerings, as well as her emphasis on recruiting, training and mentoring a significant — and significantly talented — new pool of Daily reporters, photographers and designers that joined this past quarter,” Byrne said.

Ogburn said some of her biggest priorities include expanding The Daily’s social and online presence, improving newsroom culture and cultivating the new class of reporters.

During her term as editor in chief, she hopes to create a mobile app for the paper and roll out a new desk dedicated to crafting features for the newspaper’s daily coverage.

Wendler said he is very excited to pass the mantle to Ogburn and to see her lead the newsroom.

“Lily has been an intrepid reporter on the city desk and across our newsroom, and her reporting and editing skills will serve her well as editor in chief in addition to her ability to lead,” Wendler said.

Ogburn said she aims to continue strengthening The Daily’s relationships in the community.

“I want to be that mentor for another person, for another younger staffer, and I want to keep fostering the inclusive and welcoming environment that is so important to The Daily,” Ogburn said.

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