Herald Id

[Toney Talbot]

Whileherald the verb is more common today, herald the noun is older. When the word was first welcomed into English in the early 14th century, it referred to an official at a tournament (one of those knightly sporting events the Middle Ages are famous for). The herald's duties included making announcements, hence the word's uses relating to announcements both literal and metaphorical. The word is ultimately Germanic in origin, though like so many words of 14th century vintage, it came to English by way of Anglo-French. The resemblance between herald and the name Harold is not coincidental: Harold is a modern form of Chariovalda, the name of a 1st century C.E. leader of the Batavi, a tribe who lived on the lower Rhine. The Germanic source of Chariovalda, haria-, is also the source of herald.

Like other officers of arms, a herald would often wear a surcoat, called a tabard, decorated with the coat of arms of his master. It was possibly due to their role in managing the tournaments of the Late Middle Ages that heralds came to be associated with the regulation of the knights' coats of arms. Heralds have been employed by kings and large landowners, principally as messengers and ambassadors. Heralds were required to organise, announce and referee the contestants at a tournament.[2] This practice of heraldry became increasingly important and further regulated over the years, and in several countries around the world it is still overseen by heralds. In the United Kingdom heralds are still called upon at times to read proclamations publicly; for which they still wear tabards emblazoned with the royal coat of arms.

There are active official heralds today in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Canada, and the Republic of South Africa. In England and Scotland most heralds are full-time employees of the sovereign and are called "Heralds of Arms in Ordinary". Temporary appointments can be made of "Heralds of Arms Extraordinary". These are often appointed for a specific major state occasions, such as a coronation. The Canadian Heraldic Authority has created the position of "Herald of Arms Emeritus" with which to honor long-serving or distinguished heraldists. In Scotland, some Scottish clan chiefs, the heads of great noble houses, still appoint private officers of arms to handle cases of heraldic or genealogical importance of clan members, although these are usually pursuivants.

In addition, many orders of chivalry have heralds attached to them. These heralds may have some heraldic duties but are more often merely ceremonial in nature. Heralds which were primarily ceremonial in nature, especially after the decline of chivalry, were also appointed in various nations for specific events such as a coronation as additions to the pageantry of these occasions. In the Netherlands, heralds are appointed for the Dutch monarch's inauguration where they wore their tabards until 1948; these heralds proclaim the inauguration ceremony to have been completed to those inside and outside the Nieuwe Kerk.

The Herald publishes a daily email newsletter each weekday during the fall and spring semesters, delivering the latest news and information to more than 33,000 subscribers. The newsletter is published weekly during winter and summer. The Herald print edition, a newsmagazine focusing on enterprise content, is published monthly during the fall and spring semesters. Herald content is updated 24/7 through the year at WKUHerald.com.

This focus is showing results. On the ground, the Herald distributes copies of each edition of the newspaper at more than 100 locations on campus and in Bowling Green. The WKUHerald.com website, the first college news website in Kentucky, attracts more than 70,000 unique visitors and 116,000 page views each month.

The Herald has won 23 Pacemaker awards from Associated Collegiate Press, the top national honor for a student publication. The Herald is the sixth most successful student media outlet in the century-long history of the National Pacemaker Awards.

In 2017, the Herald and reporter Nicole Ares won the Betty Gage Holland Award for the top investigative/enterprise project in collegiate journalism nationwide for the 2016-17 academic year. That project, "In the Dark," used public documents to explore what happens to faculty and staff members found to have engaged in sexual misconduct on Kentucky's eight public university campuses. Reporting on the project resulted in WKU suing the College Heights Herald in an effort to withhold records of such cases at WKU. The national Holland Award is sponsored by the Cox Institute for Journalism and the Student Press Law Center.

The reach and quality of Herald content are the key factors in maintaining advertising revenues, which support the publication. Herald revenues support not only the operation of the newsroom, but also provide funding to help with technology upgrades necessary each year throughout the Student Publications operation.

The Herald offers paid positions in writing, photography, videography, design, marketing and editorial leadership. Students can apply online at apply.wkuherald.com. You can also stop by our office in the Adams-Whitaker Student Publications Center to introduce yourself to editors and learn more.

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