Sophomore Benjamin Cohen was elected sports editor for Volume 104 of The Chronicle at a meeting of the sports staff Monday night.
Cohen will lead a staff of approximately 30 writers and editors for a one-year term beginning in May. Cohen will replace junior Meredith Shiner.
The Livingston, N.J. native is currently an associate sports editor covering men's and women's basketball. He served as a columnist during the fall semester and as a senior writer for Towerview.
"I'm ecstatic about the opportunity to lead such a talented group of people," Cohen said. "I can't wait to get started on Volume 104."
In his speech Monday night, Cohen emphasized expanding The Chronicle's online presence through blogs with audio and video content. He also spoke at length about increasing efforts to both recruit and retain writers.
"There's no denying the integral role sports play on this campus," Cohen said. "Our goal is to be the best college sports department in the nation-the kind of department Duke students deserve."
In terms of content, Cohen stressed writing more long-term and analytical features and packaging them with creative layouts. Furthermore, he hopes to make the sports section more efficient by establishing firm deadlines for stories.
Cohen also talked about cultivating a stronger culture of journalism in the section.
As a freshman, Cohen served as a beat writer for women's soccer and women's basketball, covering the 2007 women's basketball ACC Tournament in Greensboro.
Cohen, a 2006 graduate of Newark Academy in Livingston, is an English major working toward certificates in Policy Journalism and Media Studies along with Markets and Management Studies. He expects to graduate in May 2010 before pursuing a career in journalism.
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