Dear reader,

While The Stanford Daily is a newsroom and a business, it must be above all a classroom, a place where students can hone the skills necessary to become professionals– in journalism and in other fields– after we leave The Farm.

In 2013, that means incisive reporting, stories that capture a fleeting moment of Stanford life, whether it is through text, image or data. If the pages of The Daily are a platform for hands-on journalism education, we must acknowledge the newspaper’s shortcomings. Chief among them is an inability to properly showcase student photography, graphics and layout on the traditional broadsheet.

The product you are reading today is our first attempt at emphasizing the power of visual journalism in the print version of The Stanford Daily. Every Friday, The Daily will focus on one aspect of campus life and combine it with expanded coverage in sports, the arts and campus commentary. In a tabloid size that allows us to customize each page according to the story at hand, The Stanford Daily Weekend Edition seeks to package our journalism in a way that lives up to its quality.

In many ways, today’s newspaper represents a cautious first step in The Daily’s transformation from a traditional publishing house to a dynamic media company.

Three months ago, I approached what would become my editorial team with a simple prospect: If you had unlimited time and resources, what would you create? This is the result of our effort. I hope it is something that you will enjoy.

Thank you for reading,

Edward Ngai

President and editor in chief, Vol. CCXLIV