True Life: I'm an Editor-In-Chief

Dexter Mullins is the Editor-In-Chief of North Carolina A&T SU’s award winning newspaper, The A&T Register. He is a senior, Journalism major here at NC A&T.

The A&T Register is a student run newspaper, but it does have a faculty advisor. The paper runs weekly, and is available every Wednesday at various points around campus.

Being Editor-In-Cheif makes Mullins the most important man on the newspaper staff. In an interview, Mullins allows us to take a closer look at what his position truly entails.

Q: What Steps did you take to become Editor-In-Chief?

A: I’ve been involved in journalism for eight years. I wrote for my high school’s newspaper from my freshman to senior year and I’ve been writing for The A&T Register since my freshman year. Last year I served as assistant managing editor as well as the online manager. Due to my heavy involvement with the paper I was chosen, along with one other staff member, to be put on the ballot. The student body then voted during the SGA elections at the end of last school year.

Q: What are your responsibilities as Editor-In-Chief?

A: As the Editor-In-Chief it is my responsibility to know what is on every page; know all the content including wire articles that we pull. I authorize what is published, so if there is a problem it’s my responsibility. I assign out article topics, I lead the editorial board, and basically I am the voice of the paper.

Q: What makes you different from past Editor-In-Chiefs of The A&T Register?

A: I wouldn’t say any of us were better than the other. What separates us is our focus. When Mike Mcray was Editor-In-Chief his thing was sports. He was known for ripping teams apart when they performed badly. Last year’s Editor-In-Chief, Aasiya Townself was big on arts & lifestyle. She went to every arts &lifestyle event that was her main interest and focus. My main interest/focus is news and editorials. I’ve written both news and editorial articles in almost every issue of the paper. I’ve gone to every news event.

Q: What is your favorite thing about being Editor-In-Chief?

A: This may sound crazy, but I love the ciaos. That’s what the newsroom is about; drama and ciaos. I love knowing that my staff is working hard to get out the information. I feel honored that the A&T student body trusts me to inform them of what they need to know.

Q: What is your least favorite thing about being Editor-In-Chief?

A: When we’re late. I hate being late in any aspect of life, and when it comes to the paper, being late is not professional. Tuesday’s are production day, so when things run behind and my team is stuck working late into the night, I blame myself. I hate keeping them out, I believe everyone needs personal time, I know people have things to do and I hate keeping them. Oh, there’s also the fact that being Editor-In-Chief is a lot of pressure.

Q: What was your favorite issue of The A&T Register?

A: It would have to be the same-sex relationships issue. I wrote the article, and it took me a month and a half to write it. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the response that we got from that issue. It was the first time I truly felt as though every single person on campus was talking about the paper. It showed me how much people rely on the newspaper; it truly does have all the power.

Q: What is your main goal for the newspaper this year?

A: To win. We take part in various competitions and my goal is to be first place in every single competition we participate in. This is a first class paper and it deserves to be recognized.

Check out Dexter's webpage!

Dexter Mullins can be contacted through The A&T Register’s email address: theatregister@gmail.com