Dylan Berman, a third-year English major and communications and media minor, has been selected as The Spectator’s editor-in-chief for the 2026-27 academic year. He will take the position over from current Editor-in-Chief Leila Bunker in June.
“I’m very, very honored to have been selected. I really look forward to continuing to work with people who are there, working with new people and trying to make The Spectator the best it can be,” Berman said.
Berman is a twin, with a sister attending the nearby University of Puget Sound. The pair grew up with a plethora of pets: two cats, two goats, a dog and a number of chickens. Though he may miss the company, Berman admitted he couldn’t live with a pet in the chaos of college.
Also a prestigious Sullivan Scholar at Seattle U, Berman has been working at The Spectator since his first year at Seattle U, when he joined as a volunteer reporter. He was then hired to the editorial board as a news editor in his second year, and is currently the investigative and opinion editor.
His interests beyond journalism include competing on the debate team (where he recently was named highest-ranked speaker at the YODL Nationals), playing piano, creative writing and drinking Monster energy drinks. Berman and his debate partner plan to attend internationals next year. Last year, Berman had a piece of historical fiction published in the Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal as the journal’s very first creative paper.
Jonathan Rabinovitz, advisor for The Spectator, spoke highly of Berman’s abilities as a reporter, investigator, editor and team player. He pointed to Berman’s editorial vision and understanding of the paper’s scope of coverage as strong traits that stood out in the interview process.
Rabinovitz is optimistic for the coming year as he looks forward to working closely with Berman.
“The goals for next year at The Spectator are what they always are, which is to strive to do excellent journalism, to keep the campus informed about what’s going on and to provide a place for student voices to be heard,” Rabinovitz said.
Keagen Brooks-Torres, arts and entertainment editor for The Spectator, has worked closely with Berman for multiple years. They voiced similar confidence in Berman for the role.
“He is a stand-up guy. He’s the whole package. He’s got all the right pieces. He has a great eye for detail, and he’s very thorough,” Brooks-Torres said. “He’s especially good at news reporting, and he’s always willing to pick up the slack and do extra work for the strength of the paper and the whole team.”
Now shifting his attention to next year, Berman is training for his future role with current Editor-in-Chief Bunker and Rabinovitz, and he already has many ideas for the paper. A few include themed editions, expanding social media and building out digital media projects. Berman also emphasized his wish to further engage more campus communities, such as Cornish College of the Arts students and STEM majors.
“We have some [people] who are really dedicated, who have strong journalistic impulses, that can understand how to write great articles, do good interviews, things like that. A lot of it’s going to be talking to them, getting their ideas about where we can best allocate responsibility,” Berman said. “But at the same time, we’re going to need to bring in new editors. We’re looking for people who have already shown dedication from the paper through the year [or] multiple years working there, who have experience or have some good articles under their belt, who show they take initiative if they want to help out of the paper. People who are passionate and consistent, and willing to learn.”
Overall, Berman is focused on pushing the paper forward and contributing meaningfully so that others will have the same space he did to explore journalism, though he wants to be clear that The Spectator is a place for everyone on campus.
“We’re open, if you want to write and are interested in contributing something. We know that you have something to contribute,” Berman said. “You don’t have to be a journalism major, or you don’t have to have a ton of experience or feel like you’re a great writer. We’d love for you to just come and try something.”
