Hey Vols, I’m back! But this time, I’m not here to give you the ramblings of my often long-winded mind. Instead, I’m thrilled to tell you this is the last tabloid Daily Beacon you’ll be reading while I’m editor-in-chief.

What on earth is tabloid, you might be asking.

A tabloid newspaper is smaller in size (usually 11 by 15 inches), and it is usually no more than five columns across.

In contrast, broadsheet is the traditional style of newspaper (think the gigantic print your grandparents get delivered every day to their doorstep).

Since beginning its publication in 1965, The Daily Beacon printed a broadsheet paper. On Jan. 8, 2015, the Beacon switched to tabloid under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Claire Dodson.

In a letter from the editor, Dodson affirmed that although the look changed, the Beacon’s commitment to journalistic values didn’t.

“Our new horizontal format is easier to carry and read in class. It’s also thicker — packed with more of the great content we bring you every day,” Dodson wrote.

That all may be true. The layout and feel of The Daily Beacon changed for better or worse. But with all due respect to Dodson, I stand by a concept she may not have counted on, and that’s the credibility aspect of a newspaper which has now been around for 60 years.

Broadsheet just screams “newspaper!” Tabloid screams “magazine.”

And I’d like to point out that in today’s modern language, the word “tabloid” is often used as an adjective to refer to a type of journalism — the kind that prioritizes outrageous words and sometimes publishes fake news. The use of the word “tabloid” as a noun (which is its first definition in Merriam Webster), is in reference to the size of the physical print.

Broadsheet newspapers allow for greater visual representation of stories and innovative design elements. We’re excited to expand our print stories with photographs and infographics that blend together in an immersive reader experience.

I would argue that the Beacon has never been in a better position to print in broadsheet style. Over the past year we have consistently printed papers chock full of hard news, a commodity that past Beacon years might have found hard to come by.

The timing is impeccable — my team has exploded in a fiery storm of journalistic passion that won us third place nationally and first place in regional competitions. The publication you’re reading right this second is one of the best student newspapers in the country, and I think our print format should reflect that.

We’ve done 10 years’ time in tabloid prison. It’s time to break free.

To anyone who’s worked with me in the Beacon office for the past three years, it’s no secret that I harbor unpleasant feelings toward the tabloid style. It’s been a personal goal of mine to revive the nostalgic feel of a traditional broadsheet newspaper during my tenure at the Beacon. Whether that style sticks around after I’m gone, who’s to say?

But what I do know is that my team is fired up to print on big ole 10 by 20 inch pages and wave around a gigantic newspaper that informs, inspires and connects.

So when you return from spring break crispy red and well-rested, look for a new style of Beacon in the racks around campus — we can’t wait to give it to you.