Twitter and Facebook have been going crazy at the latest news from the Communications department. A lot of people think that this is evidence of print journalism being dead, or that the Daily Universe is going to be 'teaching people how to blog better.'
I was worried too. Would future PR students get the writing experience they need? I openly admit that I didn't know how to write before I worked at the newspaper, and I got the internship I have now because of my writing experience.
But after talking to my friend Elizabeth (web editor at the DU), she explained it all to me. Comms 321 (The Daily Universe class) will still be pretty much the same. Students will practice writing articles, they will just be posted online instead of in print format.
I mean, I'll never forget how I felt when my first story was on the front page. Or when a source emailed a change last minute and I rushed up to the lab thinking I would literally have to stop the presses. But this change is better for students overall. It's meant to reflect the realities of current news organizations and prepare students for the job market. Daily news will still be online and the weekly publication will concentrate on long-form journalism. Students will still get to write and the paper will still be read; it will just have to be read online.
It doesn't mean it's not sad though. I'll miss Kaye and her unparalleled knowledge of every obscure holiday involving food (National Bread Day, National Chocolate Day, etc.) I had some of the best times in the newsroom and met some of my best friends.
For more information:
Campus Desk FOREVER. miss you.
ReplyDelete