Ellie Allen will serve as The Butler Collegian’s editor-in-chief for the 2021-22 school year. Photo courtesy of Ellie Allen.
MEGHAN STRATTON | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | mrstratt@butler.edu
Ellie Allen, a junior journalism and strategic communication double major, will serve as The Butler Collegian Editor-in-Chief for the 2021-22 academic year. Allen has been on the Collegian staff since her first semester at Butler, and has been a news reporter, assistant news editor and news editor.
Allen was drawn to the student newspaper through her CCOM Up Close visit, where she saw the Collegian office for the first time. She loved that it was entirely student run, and knew she wanted to join.
Allen chose to run for the position because she cares about the paper succeeding, and felt that she was ready for the next step to ensure the paper continues to run as best as it can. Allen was confirmed on April 16 and will officially assume the position on May 8 when current Editor-in-Chief Meghan Stratton graduates.
Allen ran for Editor-in-Chief on a platform with four key components: integration, retention, investigation and accountability.
“I hope that we have more reporters and keep growing and have large sections where people really care about it and are encouraged to come back the next year,” Allen said.
She also noted the importance of having an editorial board that is invested in the growth of the paper and their individual sections in order to produce high-quality stories. Furthermore, she aims to push the staff to create in-depth investigative stories to hold people in power accountable.
“I want to work on my leadership skills and continue to be confident and assertive in that,” Allen said. “So personally I’d like to see myself grow there and be able to effectively lead and be that leader that helps the editorial board and reporters take their next step.”
Allen is the sixth woman in a row to lead The Collegian, which she hopes is a trend that becomes more common in the journalism industry.
“Just being a woman journalist is not always the easiest — some extra issues can come along — so hopefully it will be a bit of inspiration to others and to journalism majors that they can do it, and they can rise above many of those struggles that particularly women face in the journalism world,” Allen said.
