Ben Wrixon, The Journal’s current Senior Arts Editor, was elected Editor in Chief of Volume 150 on Feb. 20.
Wrixon, who ran uncontested, won with 12 votes—85.7 per cent—in his favour with two abstentions and two votes against. 16 of 34 eligible voters, 47 per cent, cast their ballot.
Upon hearing the results, Wrixon said he felt relief and excitement.
“I was literally just in my room […] It’s exciting to be able to finally tell my parents,” Wrixon said in an interview with The Journal.
When Wrixon leads The Journal in Volume 150, it will be his third year on the masthead. In Volume 148, he was the Opinions Editor.
Wrixon said he’s grateful for all the previous editors he’s worked with.
“In [Volume] 148, Matt [Scace] and Raechel [Huizinga] were both really great, they made me feel super comfortable, and really inspired me to stay with The Journal and keep going,” Wrixon said.
“Aysha and Shelby have been so awesome, they have inspired me to be the absolute best I can be,” he said. “’I’m really grateful to all of them—I really look up to all of them.”
Wrixon hopes to build on the current standing of the paper.
“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, I’m just trying to put a little bit of grease in it. I think the system works. I think we’ve been putting out really great content this year,” he said.
On his future staff, Wrixon said he is excited to work with them.
“I don’t know who [they] are going to be yet, but I’m hoping to build a staff full of people that are just really passionate about writing and telling stories,” Wrixon said.
“If you’re interested in working at The Journal, we’re not looking for people that are experts right now. I’m just looking for people that are really passionate, and people that really want to commit themselves to something.”
Current Editor in Chief Shelby Talbot hopes The Journal continues with anti-racism work done in previous volumes.
“I’m hopeful the paper will continue to advance its equitable, responsible, and meaningful reporting while confronting and uprooting the ways in which it can be damaging to marginalized communities in its next volumes,” Talbot said in a statement to The Journal.
“The Journal is an important institution at Queen’s, but it’s one with a long, complicated, and harmful history.”
Talbot expressed her confidence in Wrixon’s ability to make the next volume special.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Ben for the past two volumes, and I’ve seen the wonderful stories he’s put together […] I’m looking forward to watching what The Journal achieves in Volume 150 as a reader and supporter,” Talbot said.
Current Editor in Chief Aysha Tabassum added that she’s excited to see what’s to come.
“We’ve had a very complicated and fulfilling year as a paper. I’m excited to see how Ben and his future Managing Editor build on the work we’ve done, and how they make The Journal their own,” Tabassum said in a statement to The Journal.
Tags
2022 elections, Editor in Chief, The Journal
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