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The Daily Princetonian elects Ort ’21 as next Editor-in-Chief

jon-ort

Incoming Editor-in-Chief Jon Ort ’21 (left) with members of the ‘Prince.’

Photo Credit: Sam Kagan / The Daily Princetonian

On Saturday, Dec. 7, after almost five hours of speeches, questions, and debate, The Daily Princetonian elected Jonathan Ort ’21 as the Editor-in-Chief for the 144th managing board. Ort currently serves as a Managing Editor for the 143th board.

A history concentrator from Highlands Ranch, Colo., Ort ran against Head News Editor Benjamin Ball ’21 and reached the necessary two-thirds majority of the ‘Prince’ present staff to be elected in the first round of voting.

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“I’m really thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to lead the paper in the coming year,” Ort said. “[T]he coming year is going to be one of ... a lot of challenging conversations.”

The election began at 10 a.m., when candidates gave speeches and answered questions before a crowd of ‘Prince’ staffers assembled in the team’s newsroom at 48 University Place. Later, the group entered a period of discussion, considering, among other things, ideal qualities of an editor-in-chief and the benefits of each candidate. 

Per a temporary amendment to the ‘Prince’ election bylaws, seniors not moderating the discussions were permitted to cast a vote in this year’s election. Editor-in-Chief Chris Murphy ’20 and managing editors Sam Aftel ’20 and Ariel Chen ’20 moderated the process. 

“I’m very happy that both Jon and Ben were committed to running as Editor-in-Chief,” Murphy said. “I think it’s great that both of them showed dedication and commitment to a position as large and as important as this one. I’m very excited that Jon is going to be the 144th Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Princetonian — I think he’s a fantastic fit for the job.”

With his tenure as Editor-in-Chief coming to a close, Murphy looks forward to rejoining the ‘Prince’ as a reporter. “I cannot wait to get back to writing. I am very excited to write,” he said.

Ball believes that the election process went well and looks forward to the opportunity to discuss his ideas with Ort. 

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“I think the proceedings managed to flesh out well what our expectations for the 144th managing board are and while there certainly [are] some contentions between what Jon and I presented in our platforms, I know he’s the kind of person who will be willing to talk and discuss through those discrepancies,” Ball said. “I think he will lead the next board very well, and I look forward to being on it.”

Following his election, members of the ‘Prince’ welcomed Ort back into the newsroom where he briefly addressed those present. 

“It is a tremendous honor to be your Editor-in-Chief in the year to come, and I know that we’re gonna do amazing things together,” he said.

Ort will officially assume the role of Editor-in-Chief in January.

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