News Editor of Flyer News makes her introduction

Readers, 

My name is Olivia Gabel, and I am extremely excited to introduce myself as Flyer News’ News Editor for the 2026–27 school year. 

If I were writing this as a news story, I would start with the most important information first. I am entering my third year at UD as a communication major with a concentration in journalism and a minor in political science. I care deeply about telling stories that impact the campus community, and the problem is that this isn’t one of them. It is an introduction, something that I am far less comfortable doing than interviewing a source or tracking down information. 

Still, introductions matter. So before I spend the year asking a million questions, I suppose it’s only fair that I answer a few myself. 

I am originally from a small town about an hour north of Dayton called New Bremen, Ohio. That said, I’ve jumped from place to place all my life. I currently live in Loveland and am enjoying all the Cincinnati area has to offer. I spend most of my time doing exactly what you would expect from a journalism and political science student: reading, overthinking, asking a lot of questions and trying to just keep up with the pace of college life itself. Thankfully, journalism is one of the few places where overthinking is considered a strength. After UD, I plan to go to law school and work in family law. 

For as long as I can remember, I have been deeply interested in advocacy and my role within it. This interest is what led me to journalism. Journalism gives me a closer look at how institutions, policies, and decisions are affecting people and their everyday lives. I have always believed there are more questions to be asked, even if they might be difficult. Journalism gives that curiosity somewhere productive to go. It lets me ask questions without apologizing for asking them, to listen carefully to voices that might otherwise be overlooked, report fairly and write stories that help people better understand the communities they are part of.

I first joined Flyer News during my freshman year at UD in the form of a contributing writer. I was stuck in the first-year struggle of picking what it is you want to do for the rest of your life when I stumbled across CMM 330: Media Writing. The course let me write about stories I found to be genuinely interesting and let me provide information to the student body that I felt they deserved. I wrote about difficult staffing changes, budgeting issues and the university’s future. It didn’t feel like useless work to me; it felt important and tangible. Student journalism has a unique kind of immediacy to it. The stories we cover are not happening somewhere far away to people we will never meet. They are unfolding in the same classrooms, offices, and campus spaces we move through every day, and they affect the people sitting beside us.

That’s one of the reasons I care so much about news writing. At a university, information moves quickly. Administrative decisions, student concerns, campus events and even safety issues can get buried in complicated language and crowded inboxes. A student newspaper should do more than repeat announcements or summarize what happened. It should help readers understand why something matters, who it affects and what questions still need to be asked. It should make their campus feel a little less confusing and a little more connected.

As News Editor, that is the standard I hope to uphold. I want Flyer News to continue producing reporting that is timely and relevant to students, while also giving readers the context they need to make sense of what is happening around them. Whether we are covering major administrative decisions, student organizations, breaking developments or the kinds of issues students are already talking about with their friends, I want our reporting to reflect the realities of life at UD and answer the questions students actually have rather than just provide a list of facts. 

Outside of journalism, the people at UD have been unequivocally the best part of my college experience. I’ve met my best friends here, and they’ve made this place home. Some of my favorite memories have happened after the deadlines, whether we were out celebrating, wandering campus a little too late, or laughing over something that probably wasn’t all that funny. As excited as I am for what comes after graduation, realizing I only have two years left with them has made me appreciate this chapter a lot more than I thought I would.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as News Editor this year, and I am thrilled for what is ahead. I hope our work this year reflects the curiosity, care and commitment student journalism requires.

I am looking forward to the stories we tell, the conversations we start, and the community we continue building together.

Thank you for reading.  I hope you follow along with Flyer News this year.

Olivia Gabel